Card Captor Ashura: Star's Ascent
by shadowphantomness
Summary: Ash Ketchum is just a normal little kid, not even out on his pokemon journey, when he finds a deck of pokemon cards in his attic. Now Ash is a card captor with a food-obsessed Pika-chan! COMPLETE Episode 41 begins the Dark Apprentice Arc...
1. The rising of a new dawn

This is a crossover However, the cards in this story are pokémon cards, not Clow Cards! Ash accidentally let loose the original 150 pokémon cards and now he has to capture them! This has nothing to do with my other series. Ash is 11 and hasn't started on his pokémon journey yet. He does know that he is Destiny and that he was adopted. The cards can either turn you into the said pokémon or summon the said pokémon. This is based on Card Captor Sakura, not the crappy Cardcaptors dub. I do not own CCS or Pokémon. They all belong to people who are a lot richer than me. Gary is portrayed more negatively in this fic, so fans of that character should take note now.

**Title: Card Captor Ashura - Star's Ascent**

**Author: Shadow/Phantomness**

**Rating: PG**

**Notes: I have converted to using () for Pokemon speech, ** for thoughts, and _italics_ when Pokemon speak.**

* * *

Episode 1: The rising of a new dawn

Ash was helping his mom clean out the attic, since he had some free time. His mom was outside weeding her garden. Suddenly, Ash heard a strange noise. It sounded like… snoring? He picked up the broom he had been using and crept downstairs, ready to whack the intruder, if it came to that.

Finally, he realized that the noise was coming from his late father's study. It seemed to be issuing from a blue-bound book. He opened the golden clasp on the front. Inside was a deck of cards. On the back of each was a poke ball with five streams of white light coming from it. (Like the backing on Japanese Pokémon cards.) Ash flipped over the first card. It was a Pidgeot. "Pidgeot…" Ash said, staring at it. Suddenly, a great wind blew up and scattered most of the other cards. Only three were left, mostly because he had grabbed them out of midair. Pidgeot, Bulbasaur and Eevee.

All of a sudden, something floated out of the book. Ash looked at it. It resembled a small pikachu with a pair of cute little white wings. It slowly opened its eyes and looked at Ash. "I am Pikachu, guardian of the Kanto pokémon card set." Said the pikachu. Suddenly it shrieked. "Where are all the cards?!"

"You mean these?" asked Ash, holding out Pidgeot, Bulbasaur, and Eevee.

"Yes, yes, yes!" said the little winged pikachu. "But where are the rest?"

"Well, when I opened the book, the first card on top was Pidgeot." Ash said. "When I read the name, a gust of wind suddenly appeared and blew most of the other cards away. These are the only ones left."

"What?!" shouted the pikachu. "Well, than you will have to capture them all!"

"Huh?" asked Ash. This was definitely not his day. He wondered if he was going crazy or something.

The pikachu had walked over to the book. "Repeat after me." It said. "Key that holds the contract of the seal, this is your new master. This young boy whose name is Ashura. Under the seal of contract, release!" Abruptly, a glowing golden magic circle appeared under Ash's feet. In the center was the symbol of a poke ball, surrounded by the symbols of the fifteen known elements. Then, Ash blacked out.

When Ash revived, he was clutching a golden staff tipped with a pidgeot's head with rainbow plumes.

"This is the staff that you use to activate the pokémon cards." Said Pikachu. "I am going to be your guardian. Your duty is to recapture the cards that were blown away by Pidgeot. I'm here to help you." Ash blinked. He felt like he had stumbled into the realm of fantasy, which did not seem very good for his mental state.

Suddenly, a small Pidgey appeared in his house. "It's a pokémon card!" called Pikachu.

"How can you tell?" asked Ash.

"Because, pokémon cards and 10x as powerful as regular pokémon! Quick! Attack it! Use the Pidgeot, it'll win!" Pikachu said in exasperation. "Plus, it's _inside_ your house!" Pikachu didn't mention that she could sense pokemon cards and that the Pidgey was most certainly _not_ normal, if Ash had not already noticed the thin band of golden feathers around its throat.

"Oh yeah. Pidgeot, go!" shouted Ash. Pidgeot shot out of the card and attacked the Pidgey, easily beating it. One had to feel a bit sorry for the Pidgey. It looked insignificant compared to the towering pidgeot. Feathers and dust filled the air, obscuring Ash's vision, but he could probably guess what was happening.

After a few minutes, the dust had mostly cleared, so Ash decided that it was time. "Return to your true form, pokémon card!" he yelled when he saw that the Pidgey looked haggard enough. The Pidgey seemed to evaporate into bands of swirling blue light, which took the shape of a small blue card, with the poke ball design on the back.

"You have to write your name on the cards you capture." Pikachu told him, handing Ash a small silver pen. "Otherwise, they won't obey you and might run away." Ash wrote his name at the bottom of the card. Then, he put it inside the book along with Pidgeot, Bulbasaur, Squirtle, Eevee, and Pikachu.

A few hours later, Ash was still trying to adjust to this new idea. The fact that he was supposed to be going around capturing overly powerful pokemon and turning them into little blue cards was not very appealing. However, it was also sort of fun in a strange way. He decided that it wouldn't be too bad after all.

A few hours later his mom came back in. "Are you hungry yet?" She called. "I'm making pizza for dinner!"

Ash's eyes lit up. "Yay! I love pizza!" He said, very excited. His mom was a great cook, and her pizza was enough to make anyone's mouth water, especially a very hungry eleven-year old kid. Ash smiled and began doing cartwheels.

His mom laughed. "I know you love pizza, so I'll make some extra. Maybe you can invite a friend over."

Ash's face suddenly fell. "I don't know. Gary doesn't like playing with me anymore. He says that it's too childish!" He burst out.

"Maybe Gary just wants to grow up." Delilah suggested as she rolled out the pizza dough. It was lucky they had some left over from a few days ago. She didn't have enough time to make a fresh batch yet.

Ash shrugged. He decided to watch T.V. until dinner was ready. However, when he went upstairs, he noticed that the winged pikachu was fluttering around his room.

"Hey! I have to hide you from mom!" Ash said.

"Sorry." The pikachu said. "But I'm hungry!"

"You have to eat too? But it thought…" Ash trailed off, forgetting what he was going to say.

"Yes, I have to eat too. And would you quit addressing me as 'you'? You can call me the 'Eternal Winged Pikachu of Greatness'."

Ash sweatdropped. "That's _long_… can I call you Pika-chan instead?"

The Eternal Winged Pikachu of Greatness huffed, but decided not to argue. It sounded quite… cute, in a strange way. "All right." She said.

"Cool! So, do you like pizza, Pika-chan?"

"I've never tried it before. Is it good?"

Ash looked shocked. "You've never had pizza before? What about chocolate and ice cream bars? Spaghetti and meatballs? Kentucky fried chicken? White chocolate cake with whipped cream and strawberries? Frozen yogurt? Apple pie fresh from the oven?"

Pika-chan shook her head after each query.

"How terrible! Don't worry, I'll save you some dinner tonight!" Ash promised. And dessert, if he managed not to eat all of it, but his mom always made a ton, so it shouldn't be a problem.

For right now though, Pika-chan looked hungry, so Ash gave her a chocolate bar. It was evident that she enjoyed it.

"Yum! This is delicious!" Pika-chan said, munching happily on the chocolate bar. Ash also gave her the apple from his school lunch, which he hadn't eaten. Theoretically, since she was a pikachu hybrid, she would like apples, since normal pikachus loved them. His hypothesis was proven correct, as Pika-chan devoured the apple with much gusto.

Ash smiled. She was so cute! He had never had a pet pokemon for long before, since his mom had thrown out the puppy he had brought home, claiming it had fleas (which it had), and his Rattata had escaped after only two days. It was embarrassing, really, but now he had a pet!

He was so busy daydreaming that his mom called twice before he noticed and went downstairs for dinner.

"What's wrong, Ash? Are you sick?" His mom asked, when he only had three slices of pizza.

"I guess I'm a little tired… can I take some up to my room?"

"As long as you clean up the crumbs, it shouldn't be a problem." Delilah said, putting several pieces of pizza on his plate. "I'll cut you some chocolate cake too."

"Okay." Ash slowly made his way upstairs, balancing the two plates he was carrying, as well as the glass of orange juice Delilah had insisted that he bring, just in case he was catching a cold.

When Ash returned, Pika-chan swooped down on him. He was so surprised that the plates went flying. He managed to catch the orange juice and the pizza, but the chocolate cake was out of his reach. Ash gulped. How was he going to explain this?

Luckily, Pika-chan had dived for the cake and was now eating it with an appetite. Ash wondered just how hungry she was. Probably very hungry, since she had been cooped up in the book for a long time, judging from how old it looked.

Ash sighed and resigned himself to the fact that he probably going to get any dessert tonight. At least the pizza was still good, warm and crispy. Mmm! Ash sighed and finished off two more slices, leaving one for Pika-chan.

"Hey Pika-chan, do you want some pizza? You're still hungry, aren't you?" Ash asked, as he finally finished his portion off and took a long swig of the orange juice. He hated drinking milk with pizza, it made him nauseous; so he usually had apple juice.

Pika-chan looked up from the plastic dessert plate, which only held crumbs and bits of smeared chocolate frosting now. She nodded, still chewing. Her cheeks were smeared with brown, but she looked very happy.

Ash handed her the pizza slice and finished off the orange juice. Just then, the door opened and Ash's mom came in.

Pika-chan froze and fell to the floor, going limp, so she resembled a poke doll.

"Hi! I forgot to bring you your salad and fruit, so here it is. Its important to eat balanced meals, especially when you're sick!" His mom told him.

"Thanks, mom." Ash said, taking the green salad and plate of apple slices from her.

"You're welcome, dear. It's fresh from the garden too. So eat up!" Ash's mom left, after leaving the food on his desk. "And do remember to turn the overhead light on if you're going to read!"

"I know." Ash said. His mom could be so annoying sometimes! He ate about half of the salad and had a few apples slices, since he was already pretty full, even without dessert. Pika-chan finished the pizza.

"Did you like it?"

"Well, it was not sweet, but it was quite good." Pika-chan said.

"I'm glad. My mom makes the best pizza in the world. I saved some salad and apple slices for you too." Ash said, indicating the dishes.

Pika-chan cheered and descended onto the plates. In a few moments, they were clean, with nothing left but a few bits of salad dressing and stray apple bits.

"This food is wonderful!" Pika-chan said ecstatically.

"Okay. Well, I'll take the dishes downstairs now. I'll give you a bath, later." Ash said. He carried the dirty dishes downstairs and dropped them in the dishwasher. His mom was busy watching T.V., so she just waved. Sometimes, Ash resented that, but he knew she worked hard to keep them fed. She worked at the pokemon center in Viridian city, and had to drive there every day. But since she hadn't finished college, she didn't get paid as much as the Nurse Joys. Also, whenever she had free time, she worked on their garden, so he really couldn't blame her.

When Ash returned upstairs, he filled the tub with water and picked up Pika-chan. "Come on, now! Bath time!" He said cheerfully, before dumping the surprised guardian into the tub, following up with a generous dose of bubble bath.

Pika-chan squirmed and tried to get out, but the sides of the tub were slippery and her wings were wet, so she was unable to fly. She had to endure the scrubbing and soaping, but she had to admit that it was fun.

After Pika-chan finally escaped the tub, Ash dried her off with the spare blue towel. Then, he took a quick shower and brushed his teeth. By this time, Pika-chan was feeling tired herself, so soon both Chosen and guardian went to bed.

* * *

End part 1!

Authoress's notes: Yes, this was revised. Why? Because I need more plot and its fun! Also, as the reviewers pointed out, it's not fun if he just kills people all the time…

Chosen refers to the Card captor that the Decision maker picks.

Completed 6/29/02? Or 6/27/02? I wish my computer would tell me…


	2. secrets of the hidden spring

Hi! If you reviewed, thank you so much! You don't know how much it means to me! And if you didn't, shame on you!

Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN POKEMON. I own Destiny though, but that won't be revealed until later.

Yes, this is revised from the original version. This is a friendlier version; with more plot twists in it.

Episode 2:  Secrets of the hidden spring

            It had been three days since Ash had released the pokemon cards. In that time, no new cards had appeared. Ash was in the woods, trying to find wild mushrooms for tonight's special dinner. Apparently his mom was inviting a date to their house! That was amazing! Ash had never seen his mom so nervous before. She acted strange, always looking at herself in the mirror and checking her makeup. 

            "Have you found any yet?" Pika-chan asked. She was flitting around in the trees, trying to spot mushrooms. This was helpful, but only so much, since Pika-chan had already gotten stuck in the lower branches twice.

            "Nope." Ash said, looking around. "I know there are supposed to be some around her, but I can't find any."

            He sounded frustrated. Pika-chan shrugged. "What color are they, again?"

            Ash sighed. "Pika-chan, for the last time, they're orange with purple polka dots."

            Pika-chan's eyebrows shot up. "Are you sure?"

            "Yeah! Mom showed me the picture out of her cookbook. Why?" Ash asked. He had only had them once, on his seventh birthday. They had tasted so good, simmering in gravy along with bacon bits and potatoes. His mouth started to water as he thought back to how good they had tasted.

            Pika-chan stared at her now-dreaming Chosen. "Well, those are the mushrooms that wild Paras plant."

            "So?" Ash was still on cloud nine, and wasn't paying much attention to her. Pika-chan decided to get his attention, so she lightly shocked him.

            "Ow! Pika-chan, what did you do that for?"

            "I'm telling you to be careful. Wild Paras usually plant these mushrooms, so they may be poisonous! I don't want a dead card captor on my hands!" Pika-chan told him sternly.

            Ash gulped, his thoughts of food forgotten. "Are you sure?"

            "Yes! So be careful!" Pika-chan told him. "Too bad you aren't wearing gloves. They'd help protect your hands."

            "I'll be okay." Ash said. They continued walking. After a while, they finally found a few at the base of a large tree.

            "Finally!" Ash said, taking a shovel out of his backpack. He began digging them up. After a while, the patch was bare, but the bag was only about a quarter full of mushrooms. He still needed more.

            Pika-chan stayed in an oak tree while Ash dug. The acorns were still ripe, since it was autumn and school had only been in session for a few weeks. Some of Ash's classmates had already left on their journeys, but Ash's mom didn't want him to go until he was twelve. Today was a weekend; otherwise Ash would have been cooped up inside a classroom, with Pika-chan inside his backpack.

            "Do you see any more, Pika-chan?" Ash asked hopefully. "We still need more mushrooms."

            "No. I guess we'll have to go deeper into the woods." Pika-chan said. She didn't really want to venture off the path, but they needed those mushrooms.

            "It's so dark…" Ash said. He stared at the gloom surrounding the trees further in. Finally, he sighed. "I guess we have to go. I should have brought a flashlight."

            Pika-chan shrugged. She felt bad, since she still lacked most of her powers, due to the fact that Ash hadn't captured most of the cards yet.

            The pair bravely began walking into the gloom. Ash shivered. The air here felt so cold…

            Almost as soon as they were completely in, Pika-chan realized how shadowed it was, and how futile it would be to try and find mushrooms in this enveloping fog.

            "Ash? I think maybe we should leave." She whispered. "I have a bad feeling about this."

            "Me too." Ash said. "Can't you Flash or something? It's so dark!"

            "I can try…" Pika-chan focused her energy. For a minute, the area lit up with a bright layer of golden light, but soon it disapperated.

            "Darn!" Ash said. Then, he brightened. "Wait, Pika-chan. When you flashed, I saw some mushrooms at the base of that tree over there. He pointed to a beech tree about fifteen yards away.

            "Well, the sooner we get the mushrooms, the sooner we can get out of here." Pika-chan reasoned. They both hurried over to the tree. Sure enough, clustered around the base were the bright orange and purple mushrooms they had been searching for. There were enough to fill the bag, so Ash and Pika-chan both busied themselves. Soon, the bag was full and the two were ready to leave.

            "Ready?" Ash asked. He had already packed the shovel and the bag of mushrooms in his backpack and was more than ready to go. This area gave him the creeps.

            "Yep! But remember, you owe me for this!" Pika-chan said, as she focused her energy and flashed again. The two of them spotted what looked like the exit and quickly ran towards it before the darkness returned.

            When they were finally out of the shady grove of trees, Ash looked around and frowned. "Um, Pika-chan?"

            "What?" Pika-chan flew onto Ash's shoulder and perched there.

            Ash pointed to the spring in front of them. "Somehow, I think we're lost."

            Pika-chan sweatdropped. "We _are_ lost! Oh well, we can get home with Pidgeot if we have to." She said confidently. "But right now I'm really tired, and a dip would be just the thing." With that, she plunged into the spring.

            Ash sweatdropped also, but he realized the truth behind her words. He _could_ use the key Pika-chan had give him to get home, because it would react to the magic in the pokemon book which was currently in his sock drawer. With that thought, and since he was very tired and sweaty, Ash stripped off his shirt, shoes, and socks, and jumped in, wearing only his blue shorts.

            The water was pleasantly warm, not hot at all. Ash sighed. "You know, I never knew there was a hot spring here."

            "Me neither." Pika-chan said. The water seemed to erase all their fears and tiredness away from them.

            Soon, the two of them got out. It was nice to stay there, but they really had to get home.

            "Okay. Here goes!" Ash said, taking out his key. "Magic to cards, cards to key!" It was a very simple chant. The key instantly lit up and a thin beam of blue light shot out-

            And pointed at the spring.

            Ash blinked. "I don't live in a spring!" However, Pika-chan knew what was happening.

            "There must be a pokemon card in that spring. Since it didn't attack us, it must be a peaceful one."

            "Oh!" Ash said, the truth dawning on him. "So what do I do?"  
  


            "I think that the simple chant to just capture it would work." Pika-chan said.

            Ash shrugged. It was strange, but he wasn't experienced yet and he didn't want to argue with Pika-chan. He summoned his wand in a snap. "Return to your true form, pokemon card!" 

            Strands of shimmery blue light surrounded the spring, before forming into two blue cards in Ash's hand. Pika-chan hopped onto his shoulder. 

            "So, which card is it?"

            Ash was still wonderstruck, amazed that he had actually caught two cards at once.  He wordlessly held them out to show her.

            "Aha! No wonder we felt better afterwards." Pika-chan told him.

            "Huh?" Ash asked, still stunned.

            "Chansey is a healing card. Lapras is a peaceful card. Together, they are very good for cheering people up." Pika-chan said.

            "Oh." Ash didn't know what else to say.

            "Well, let's get home now. We don't want to be late for dinner, do we?" Pika-chan asked playfully.

            "Of course not!" Ash said, his enthusiasm returning almost instantly at the mention of food. "Let's go!" 

            Pika-chan sweatdropped. "Wait! Shouldn't we figure out which direction to head in first?" 

            Ash blushed. "Oops." He said in a small voice. "Well then, lets see. Magic to cards, cards to key! Send us where we want to be!" He called. He had forgotten the second line the first time he had said the chant, which might have been part of the reason why it had targeted the pool. The same thin beam of blue light shot out of the key.

            "Great! Key that hides the power of the elements, reveal your true form before me! Your master under the seal of contract Ashura commands you, Release!" The same golden circle formed as the Pidgeot wand appeared. Ash grinned and pulled the pidgeot card out. It hovered in midair before he struck it with the head of his wand. "Pidgeot!"

            The bird pokemon materialized before looking around, confused, seeing now enemies.

            "Pidgeot, could you fly me home?" Ash asked. Pidgeot nodded its head and landed on the ground. Ash and Pika-chan climbed on. As they took off, pika-chan asked Ash something that had been bugging her for a while.

            "Ash, how are going to explain to your mom that you're an hour late?"

Ash sweatdropped. "Um, I'll just say I got lost I guess." 

But when he saw the look on Delilah's face after they landed in his front yard, he realized that he had a _lot_ of explaining to do.

End of Episode 2!

Did you like it? Hate it? Tell me! Leave a review! Comments and constructive criticism are ambrosia and nectar to an author. See ya!


	3. attack of the malicious mushrooms!

Hiya! Thanks to all my faithful reviewers! Here's episode 3 of the new and improved Card Captor Ashura series!

Disclaimer: I have to put this in every part. *Sigh*. Well, you know the drill. CCS isn't mine, neither is pokemon, but I wish I had them. I am not making any profit from this fanfic anyways, so it doesn't matter, right?

Episode 3: Attack of the malicious mushrooms

            "All right, young man, you have a _lot_ of explaining to do!" Delilah said as soon as Ash had dismounted and Pidgeot had disappeared.

            Ash eeped. Pika-chan patted him on the head to give him some support. Ash looked like he needed all the help he could get.

            "Well?" Delilah asked, when she and Ash were seated on the sofa ten minutes later. "I don't think I'm hallucinating, so what were you doing out so late in the woods? And where did that Pidgeot come from?"

            "It's a long story." Ash said. Then, he came up with a question. "Wait. Don't you have a date today?"

            "He's not showing up until seven." Delilah said. "Now tell me. What took you so long?"

            Ash decided that the best way to get out would be to act pathetic, so he began playing it for all it was worth. His eyes filled up with tears and he began to sniffle softly. "Well, I was out in the woods looking for the mushrooms, but I couldn't find any, so I decided to go deeper inside."

            Delilah gasped. "Deeper into the forest?! That's dangerous! Go on, what happened next?" She remembered the legends about how ghosts of abandoned pokemon would haunt that particular part of the woods near her house.

            "Well, then I got lost…" Ash trailed off. Well, it wasn't exactly a lie, since he had gotten lost. "It was really cold and dark, and I was really scared." He turned the big puppy eyes on, confident that his plan was working.

            It was. All of Delilah's motherly instincts had risen to the surface, beating down her anger. "Oh my poor little boy!" She said, hugging him tightly. "How did you get out?"

            "Well, I wandered around, and then I ran into a trainer. He told his Pidgeot to take me home." Ash finished. Then, he opened his backpack. "And I found all the mushrooms."

            "All right. Next time, go with a friend if you're going to go in the dark part." Delilah said. "Maybe I should get you a pokemon from the center, there are plenty of orphans there." She stopped. "Well, I still have to finish dinner and redo my makeup before Giovanni comes, so please be quiet until then, and be nice to him when he comes!"

            "Okay mom." Ash said. 

"Oh! And don't forget to change into clean clothes, and please take a bath too!" His mom called as she headed to the kitchen. 

As soon as his mom was gone, he sighed in relief. So did Pika-chan.

            "I can't believe she fell for it!" Pika-chan said.

            "Shh! Talk softer, mom might be able to hear us." Even above the sounds of sizzling coming from the kitchen, he could still hear his mom humming what sounded like an old love song.

            "Oh." Pika-chan lowered her voice. "I'm hungry. And you promised me a treat."

            "Okay. I did promise, so I'll get you something." Ash said. He took Pika-chan upstairs and gave her some of his salt-water taffy that his cousin Frank had sent from the Orange islands. Pika-chan liked it, until the taffy got stuck in her teeth. They stayed upstairs and watched challenges to the Elite Four until the doorbell rang.

            Ash had taken a bath, so he looked neat when he opened the door. He found a tall, imposing man dressed in a red suit standing there, carrying a bouquet of ruby red roses.

            "Hi! Are you Giovanni?" Ash asked. Pika-chan hung over his shoulder and tried to look like a stuffed poke doll.

            "Indeed. You must be Delilah's son Ashton." Giovanni said. "I had thought you would have gone on your pokemon journey already." 

            Ash pouted. "Mom won't let me go until I'm twelve."

            "Oh! Well, if its any comfort to you, my mom didn't let me begin training until I was fourteen."

            Ash stared in disbelief. "Fourteen?!"

            "Yes, so you won't have to wait as long. How old are you now? Ten?"

            "I'm eleven!" Ash said proudly.

            Anything else they were going to say was interrupted when Delilah bustled in. She had changed into a dark blue dress, trimmed with white. Ash clapped his hands when she came downstairs, while Giovanni kissed her hand and handed her the roses.

            "Oh Giovanni! They're gorgeous! How did you know I liked flowers?" Delilah asked as she placed them in a bowl of water.

            "I thought you might enjoy them." Giovanni said smoothly.

            "Well, dinner is ready!" Delilah led the way to the dining room. Ash noticed that his mom had used the pretty blue-and-white plates she only used for Thanksgiving and Christmas. This man must be very special!  
  


            "Ash, put your toys away please." Delilah called as she turned to chat with Giovanni. Ash obediently took Pika-chan upstairs.

            "I'll feed you later, Pika-chan. Wow, mom must really like this guy." Ash said.

            Pika-chan blinked. It had been obvious to her that Delilah was besotted with this man, even though she didn't know why. 

            "Well, yes. I think she considers him a potential mate." Pika-chan said.

            Ash gave her a puzzled look. "Well, I'll bring you some food later, but I'll have to wait until they go to the movies, okay?"

            "Okay!" Pika-chan cheered. Ash washed his face and hands and headed downstairs.

            Dinner was a happy affair. Giovanni genuinely seemed to love Delilah's cooking, and he kept teasing her, so she generally acted like a love struck schoolgirl. Ash just viewed these events with mounting confusion. He finally decided to ignore them, and focused his attention on the mushrooms instead. He was so busy eating that he didn't notice Giovanni decline the mushrooms or his mom's surprised look.

            After dessert (Mocha iced cake), Delilah and Giovanni left.

            "Now remember, you have to be in bed by nine-thirty!" His mom called. "Tomorrow's a school day, you know!"

            "I know. Have fun!" Ash called. When they left, he took a plate loaded with leftovers up to his room.

            "Yum!" Pika-chan said gleefully. "Ah… I can't believe that when I was created, I never once considered eating!"

            Ash shrugged. "Food is good." He decided to work on his science homework. He sat down at his desk and began answering questions pertaining to photosynthesis and respiration.

            After a while, Ash's stomach started hurting. He ignored it, deciding that he had overeaten. However, the pain didn't ebb, so Ash consulted Pika-chan.

            "The pain won't go away?" Pika-chan asked.

            "Uh-huh." Ash said. He was lying down on the bed, hoping that the stomachache would just go away, but no such luck.

            "Hmm…" Pika-chan prodded and poked him for a few minutes, before she realized what must have happened.

            "Oh no! Those mushrooms you picked in the dark woods must have been from the Paras card! Its toxin is very deadly, and there is no cure for it yet." Pika-chan said gravely.            

            Ash gulped. "Am I going to die?" He asked.

            "Not yet. If we can find the Paras card, you'll be okay." Pika-chan reassured him.

            "Okay." Ash stood up shakily. He didn't want to die, and if going out card capturing was the cure, then he would do it!  
  


            "Key that hides the power of the elements, reveal your true from before me! Your master Ashura under the seal of contract commands you, Release!" Ash grabbed the wand as soon as it appeared and began climbing out the window when Pika-chan stopped him.

            "Ash, there's nobody home. You can use the door." 

            "Oh." Ash sweatdropped. They went down the stairs slowly, he leaning on his wand, which had enlarged so it could serve as a cane.

They managed to make it out the front door. Ash moaned. His stomach really hurt! They had better find the Paras card quick, or else…

"Ash! Use Pidgeot, we'll find it quicker!" Pika-chan called. Ash nodded as he raised his wand. "Pidgeot!"

The bird pokemon once again allowed Ash to mount it. Then, Ash and Pika-chan followed the beam of light shooting out of the wand into the woods.

They searched around in the treetops, but Paras was nowhere to be found. Ash was getting sicker and he didn't know what to do. Pika-chan was frantic. Her Chosen couldn't die on her!

Finally, Ash got an idea. "I know! Bulbasaur, go! Find Paras!" Bulbasaur materialized out of its card in a streak of blue and landed on the forest floor. Soon, they heard the sounds of a scuffle. Ash and Pika-chan looked down and saw Bulbasaur and the wild Paras fighting furiously.

"Great, now that I've found it… Pidgeot, attack!" Pidgeot needed no further encouragement as it dove down from the trees and attacked the Paras furiously. Pika-chan sighed in relief.

"Return to your true form, pokemon card!" Ash called weakly. Paras seemed to scowl, but it reverted to a blur of blue energy, before reappearing as a blue card. Ash immediately felt a lot better.

"See?" Pika-chan said. "Well, that's that. Let's get home." Ash nodded. He and Pika-chan flew back home on Pidgeot's back. Then, they climbed in Ash's window. Fortunately, even though it was almost ten, Ash's mom wasn't back yet and neither was Giovanni.

"That was close. I'm never eating mushrooms again!" Ash declared as he sunk onto his bed, exhausted.

Pika-chan laughed. "We'll see. Well, good night!"

The lights flickered out as the two fell asleep. Tomorrow would bring more challenges, and they needed all the rest they could get.

So, did you like Episode 3? Tell me!


	4. time lapses drive me buggy

Hi! Here's episode 4! Thank you so much for reviewing! 

Disclaimer: Well, I think you know by now that pokemon isn't mine. Neither is CCS. Got that? Good.

Episode 4: Time lapses drive me buggy!

            "Remind me, why did you have to come to school with me today?" Ash asked Pika-chan. He was ready to fall asleep. The math teacher was _so_ boring! At least half of the class was already in dreamland, and Ash was sorely tempted to join them in slumber. The teacher wouldn't care, anyways, so did it matter if he slept or not?

            "Because you told me that you sensed a pokemon card!" Pika-chan said. It had only been a few days since the Paras card incident, and that morning, Ash had woken up to find the Pidgeotto card sleeping outside his window. He had immediately taken the chance and sent Pidgeot out against it. He had captured the card, but his mom had given him a lecture for being so noisy.

            Ash groaned. "Well, I don't sense anything now. Are you sure it wasn't just my nerves? I _did_ have a history test yesterday, so it's not too unlikely."

            "I'm sure." Pika-chan said. Ash was busy doodling in his math notebook. He had already finished his homework, but tuning out the teacher's droning was difficult. It was annoying and **very** persistent.

            Ash sighed. "Oh well. Maybe it left the school grounds?"

            "Maybe." Pika-chan said. She sat quietly in his backpack. Ash didn't discover why she was so quiet until they were let out of class at the lunch bell. Then, he quickly figured out why.

            "You ate my whole lunch?!" Ash asked in shock. "B-but!"

            Pika-chan patted him on the back. "Don't worry! I saved a tuna sandwich for you, and the grape juice too. I only ate the cherries and the chocolate granola bar." She tried her best to sound encouraging, but Ash only got more flustered.

            "You ate my chocolate granola bar? Pika-chan! I was saving that for dessert!"

            "Sorry. But I was bored!" Pika-chan retaliated in self-defense.

            Ash groaned. Sometimes, he thought, life wasn't all it was cracked up to be. Neither was pokemon card catching, for that matter. According to Pika-chan, there were one hundred and fifty of them and he only had _eight _so far! Ash sighed.

            "Don't worry!" Pika-chan said reassuringly. Ash was about to head for the tree where he sat by himself when someone called his name.

            "Hey Ash!"

            "What is it, Gary?" Ash asked. He was on his guard, since Gary hadn't been very nice to him in the past few months.

            Gary smirked as he pulled a poke ball out of his pocket. "Look! I got a starter pokemon from Gramps! Now I can start my journey!"

            Ash was hit by a wave of jealousy. "Lucky duck."

            "Yep! You see, I'm going to the best trainer that ever left Pallet, just you wait!" Gary said in that insufferably smug voice of his. Ash restrained himself from punching Gary in the nose. Professor Oak still hadn't forgiven him for the 'Beedrill incident' four years ago, so if Ash wanted to go on his journey at all, he had to be on his best behavior around Gary, which was irritating to no end.

            With a few more twirls, Gary was off. Once he was gone, Pika-chan floated out of Ash's backpack.

            "Who was that? He was _really_ annoying!"

            Ash gritted his teeth. "Gary Oak. His grandfather is the great pokemon professor Hiram Oak. He used to be my friend, until he suddenly grew an ego last year and then we drifted apart very quickly after that. He's rich and probably got enough supplies to last his entire lifetime. I don't like him very much."

            "Ah." Pika-chan said wisely.

            "Yep. Plus, if I want to go on my pokemon journey, I have to be _nice_ to Gary. That's the worst punishment this earth has to offer!" Ash had started to rant. Pika-chan looked amused, since her Chosen had never ranted before. It was very interesting.

            After a few minutes, Ash calmed down enough to eat his lunch (Or what was left of it, Hehehe) silently. Pika-chan patted him on the head.

            "Now, now, it can't be that bad."

            "Really?" Ash said. He sounded sarcastic. "Professor Oak still hasn't forgiven me for the 'Beedrill incident'."

            "The Beedrill incident? What's that?" Pika-chan asked. 

            "Well, it happened like this. Four years ago, Gary and I were still friends. We were out on the pokemon reserve…"

***************Flashback – four years ago*********************************

            "Ash! I think we're lost!" Gary called. Ash was sitting by a pond staring at all the water pokemon inside.

            "Wow…"

            "Ash! I think we're lost!" Gary repeated in a louder voice, trying to snap Ash out of his trance. Finally, he pushed Ash into the pond.

            "Hey!" Ash said as he came up, spluttering. "What did you do that for?"  
  


            "You were ignoring me! I called you twice already!" Gary said.

            "What's so important?" Ash asked. He looked around. "Your grandfather said that we could stay until it was dark!"

            "But I don't know where we are!" Gary said.

            "You have the map, though." Gary looked sheepish. "Well, I sort of dropped it while we were looking at the grass pokemon, and one of the weepinbells dissolved it."

            Ash stared at Gary in shock at his admission. "WHAT?!"

            "I'm serious! Now I don't know how to get back home!" Gary said.

            "Well, I think we go through that forest, and then we'll be back at the lab." Ash said confidently, pointing to a grove of trees.

            "Maybe you're right! Let's go!" Gary called. He grabbed Ash's treasured league cap off his head and took off.

            "Hey! No fair!" Ash shouted, running after him. They shouted at each other while they ran through the forest. However, it was not until they were pretty far inside that they spotted the tree festooned with Kakunas.

            "Cool…" Gary said. He poked one. "Hey! They aren't moving!"

            "Let me see!" Ash called. He poked another one. "You're right!"

            "See? I'm smarter than you are!" Gary said.

            "Are not!"

            "Am too!"  
  


            "Are not!"

            "Am too!"

            "Are not!"

            "Am too!" Gary said, sticking his tongue out at Ash. The two of them had been so occupied with their name-calling that they hadn't noticed when the shells of the Kakunas began to split open and glow.

            "Are not!" Ash stuck his tongue out at Gary. Suddenly, they both became aware of a buzzing sound.

            Ash turned around. "Oh no! Beedrills! Run!"

            The two of them shrieked and ran as fast as they could. Finally, they spotted a large mud puddle. With no other choice, Ash shoved Gary into the mud and then jumped in himself. The Beedrills buzzed over them. After a few minutes, they emerged, totally covered with mud. They had slowly trekked back to the lab, and incidentally, all over the floor Professor Oak had just waxed. Needless to say, he had gotten all the blame.

**********************End Flashback**************************************

            "You can probably guess why the professor wasn't too pleased." Ash said.

            Pika-chan was rolling around on the ground, laughing her head off. "Hahahaha! It's so funny!"

            "Pika-chan!" Ash said, mock scolding her.

            "Well, it _is _funny!" Pika-chan retaliated in self-defense. "Besides, it sounded crazy."

            Ash sighed. Suddenly, he rubbed his ears. "Is it just me, or do you hear a buzzing sound?"

            "Eh?" Pika-chan looked around. "I don't see anything…" Suddenly, she felt a tingle along her spine.

            "Does that mean there's a pokemon card out there?" Ash asked.

            "Yes! Be on alert!" Pika-chan said. Ash nodded as he looked around. Everyone else was either already gone on their journey or having lunch in the cafeteria. Satisfied that he was alone, he reached under his T-shirt and removed the key.

            "Key that hides the power of the elements, reveal your true form before me! Your master under the seal of contract Ashura commands you, Release!"

            The magic circle appeared under his feet as usual, as Ash plucked the wand out of midair. "Okay. Now lets see. Where is this feeling coming from?"

            Both Ash and Pika-chan closed their eyes to sense where the magic was coming from. Unfortunately, this was a mistake, as something heavy crashed into them and sent them flying.

            Pika-chan yelped as she opened her eyes, managing to bank and land before crashing into a tree. She turned and found herself face-to-face with a _very_ angry Beedrill. Ash wasn't so lucky, as a convenient tree broke his flight. He rubbed his sore butt and scowled. Propping himself up with his wand, which had enlarged again, he faced the Beedrill.

            "Pidgeotto!" The bird formed out of blue energy, cawing as it did so. When it saw the Beedrill, it grinned wickedly and began attacking the bug with vigor. However, Ash was shocked when the Beedrill took Pidgeotto down with a well-aimed twin needle attack.

            Pidgeotto, beaten, resumed card form and dropped to the ground. Ash picked up the card, and brought his wand up just in time as the Beedrill dove at him. The wand impacted against the Beedrill's midsection, making it spin around dizzily in the air for a few seconds.

            "Pidgeot!" Ash called. That was his most-used pokemon card, and consequently, the most loyal. The bird materialized instantly and within seconds, the Beedrill was twitching on the ground, its pincers shattered.

            "Return to your true form, pokemon card!" Ash cried. The Beedrill didn't even bother to struggle as it was turned into energy, which finally landed on his hand in card form. Ash breathed a sigh of relief.

            "Great job!" Pika-chan called.

            Ash threw her a 'V' for victory sign. "Lucky I had Pidgeot."

            "Yep!" Pika-chan said. She was about to say something else, but the lunch bell rang. Ash jumped to his feet, shrinking his wand back into a key. He immediately ran towards the science wing. He still had biology and Mr. Lincoln was a very strict teacher.

            "Yikes!" Ash shouted as he ran as fast as he could. Pika-chan shrunk back to miniature size. 

            "Well, that's that!" Pika-chan said, as Ash grabbed her and they barely managed to get inside before the bell rang.

            Card capturing was important, but Ash wished it didn't happen at school. He sighed as Mr. Lincoln began the lesson. He began to daydream as the teacher droned on.

End Episode 4!


	5. the rival finally appears!

Hi! Episode 5 is now up! Aren't you proud of me? I can't believe I've actually managed to revise this much… if you liked the old version better, you'll have to wait before either Gary or Giselle appears here…

Disclaimer: NOT MINE! There, two simple words. Get the picture?

Timeline: Eight months after Episode 4, near the end of the school year.

Notes: ** Are thoughts, just reminding you.

Episode 5: The rival finally appears!

            "Return to your true form, pokemon card!" Ash called. The Charizard shimmered into mist, before taking card form again. Ash sighed. The cards had been getting harder and harder. Pika-chan said that it was because he was getting near the level of the legendary birds, so now the harder pokemon would test him.

            The only upside to this was that his power had been steadily increasing. He wrote his name on the Charizard card, before replacing it in the book. Pika-chan floated over, from where she had been sitting and watching.

            "Great job!" Pika-chan said. Ash smiled. 

"Thanks, Pika-chan!" It was sort of sad, but these cards had become his obsession for the past year or so. Ever since his mom had started – and continued – dating Giovanni, she didn't pay as much attention to him. That made him try harder to get her attention, but she didn't really care about his grades, since he got all A's. However, she had procured a Dratini from the pokemon center for him. He spent all his free time either training with Dratini or our practicing his magic.

            That was partly why it kept getting stronger. Ash smirked as he thought about how he had experimented with spells, chants, incantations, and the various card combinations. He still couldn't transform into pokemon yet, but he was steadily getting closer to that goal.

            "Can we have a snack now?" Pika-chan asked. She sounded very cheerful. Ash grinned. "How about the ice cream stand? They've got a bunch of flavors!"

            "Cool!" Pika-chan chirped happily. She hopped onto Ash's shoulder and they both headed for the ice cream stand. There, Ash tested out his magic skills by producing illusionary money. It actually worked, much to his surprise.

            "Wow…" Ash said, amazed. "I didn't know my illusions were so good."

            "You seem to be very good at that area, as well as the psychic magic, but your transformations still need a lot of work, as well as the defensive spells." Pika-chan told him.

            "I know. Say, isn't that Gary?" Ash asked, spotting a familiar figure in the crowd.

            "So it is. Do you want to say hi?"

            "Yeah, maybe he changed." Ash said. Pika-chan hopped into his backpack and hid. Ash casually walked over to where Gary was.

            "I wouldn't bet on it."

            "Hi Gary! I didn't know you were back in town already."  
  


            Gary blinked at Ash. It wasn't like him to be so… hyper? Odd. "I just got back yesterday night. I decided to check it out."

            "So, did you get all the badges?" Ash asked impishly, gauging Gary's reaction.

            Gary scowled. "Except Volcano and Earth. I couldn't find Cinnabar gym, and the Earth gym leader creamed me with some kind of psychic pokemon."

            "Oh." Ash shrugged. "Well, I guess you're not that good of a trainer then." He said it offhandedly, but Gary still heard the implied sneer behind the tone.

            Gary decided to bluff. "Well, I'll be a much better trainer than you'll ever be! You don't even have your license yet!"

            "So, I'm getting it in two weeks." Ash said smoothly.

            "I bet I can beat you easily." Gary said arrogantly. After all, he had already trained for nine months, so he was easily a much better trainer than Ash, or so he thought. "Besides, you haven't got any pokemon anyways."

            Ash was about to snap when he realized that Gary didn't know about his Dratini yet. He grinned impishly. "Wanna bet?"

            Gary shrugged. "There's no way you can beat me! Even if you did manage to get a starter from Gramps, you wouldn't have had that much to train against. There's nothing but bugs, Rattatas, and Pidgeys around here!"

            "So?" Ash shrugged. 

            "You're on! I'll see you at seven, in the abandoned house." Gary said. Their parents always wanted to keep them away from the abandoned house, claiming that it was haunted. Once, Ash's mom had found him in there. She had grounded him for a week. He had never seen her that mad before!

            "Okay!" Ash said. He waved to Gary before running home to get ready.

            "Ash?" His mom called. She was dressed in a pale pink dress edged with gold. It looked new. Her hair was done up in an elegant bun on her head, and she looked breathless with anticipation. 

            "What is it, mom?" Ash asked. 

            "I have a date with Giovanni tonight, dear. We're going to eat. Dinner's in the oven, and please be in bed by nine-thirty!" She said.

            "But it's only four! You're going already?" Ash asked.

            "Well," Delilah blushed. "We're going to see a movie first, so that's why we're leaving so early."

            Ash pouted. He wished his mom would spend more time with him. However, if she ended up marrying this Giovanni, he would have a father again!

            "I guess its okay then…" He said softly. 

            "There are some chocolate chip cookies in the cookie jar. I just baked them." Delilah said, sensing how Ash felt sad.

            That cheered him up instantly. "Really?"

            "Yes, dear." Delilah said. She was about to say more when she caught sight of Giovanni's car. "I have to go now. Remember, be in bed by nine-thirty, and if any salesmen come, tell them I don't want to buy anything!"

            "Bye, mom!" Ash called. As soon as his mom was gone, he closed the door.

            "Do you resent it?" Pika-chan asked.

            Ash growled. "Of course! She spends most of her time with him now. I don't know why she likes him so much, he seems like a pretty boring person to me…" He recalled the discussions between Giovanni and Delilah that he had eavesdropped upon. They had usually involved romance and financial musings. Giovanni apparently ran a very successful business of some sort.

"But if she wasn't gone all the time, you would not have had time to develop your skills." Pika-chan pointed out.

Ash sighed. "You know, you're right again." He smiled. It had been fun practicing in the woods by himself, with only Pika-chan and Storm, his Dratini, for company.

"See?" Pika-chan said, grinning cutely as she fluttered around him in circles. "By the way, I seem to smell chocolate in the air."

Ash laughed. "Mom just baked some chocolate chip cookies. Let's get some." He walked towards the kitchen, pika-chan following behind happily. Sure enough, the cookie jar was full.

"Yummy!" Pika-chan shouted. She immediately attacked the cookie jar, eating six cookies in the blink of an eye.

"Pika-chan! Save some for me!" Ash scolded her. She looked chastised for a moment, but sighed resolutely and handed him the ceramic jar, which amazingly, hadn't broken open from her assault on it.

Ash smiled and popped two of the cookies into his mouth. As he chewed, he thought about the truth behind Pika-chan's words. It made him feel better, so by the time he was ready to go training in the woods again he was in a good mood.

But when he arrived at the clearing where he usually trained, who should he find there but Gary! Not to mention the fact that Gary was battling a wild Wartortle that looked very angry.

Gary seethed as he commanded his Magneton to use thunder on the Wartortle again. Why hadn't it fainted yet? Thunder should have taken it out already, but since it was this powerful, he wanted to capture it.

"Come on, Magneton, keep it up!" Gary called. Finally, the Wartortle collapsed to the ground. "Great ball, go!"

The great ball sucked in the Wartortle, but only for a few seconds before it popped open again.

"What? That's not strong enough? Okay, I'll use an Ultra ball." The same thing happened. Gary was getting very frustrated by now. * What the heck is going on? *

Ash and Pika-chan watched from the trees.

"Do you feel that?" Pika-chan asked.

"It's a pokemon card, isn't it? There shouldn't be any wild Wartortles around here. It's not their native habitat, unless one escaped from the reserve." Ash asked.

"Very perceptive, Ash. The question is, how can we capture it without Gary's attention?" Pika-chan mused.

Ash thought for a minute, before he grinned and pulled out his key. "Key that hides the power of the elements, reveal your true form before me! Your master under the seal of contract Ashura commands you, Release!" The now-familiar golden circle formed underneath his feet and he jumped out of the trees, clutching his wand.

Pika-chan sweatdropped. "Oh great…"

Gary stared at Ash. "Hey! What are you doing here?"

Ash smirked. "Stand aside. There's no way you could catch that Wartortle." With that, he focused his power on his wand and held it out in front of him as the magic circle formed again. "Return to your true form, pokemon card!" The Wartortle scowled, before shimmering back into card form. However, Ash was surprised when it flew to Gary instead of him. 

"Wha?" Was the only remark he could come up with in the face of this.

Gary was as surprised as Ash was. "What is going on here?"

Pika-chan flew down. "I was afraid this would happen. Ash, you should have stunned it first or something!"

            Ash blinked. "Pika-chan, what's going on?"

Pika-chan turned to Ash. "Ash, you're my Chosen. But that doesn't mean you're the only person who can use pokemon cards. Other people, if they have strong enough will and magic, can also use captured cards, if their name is written on them."

Gary was still in shock at seeing a Pikachu talk. However, he soon got over it. "Is this what you meant, Ash? These… cards? About how you have your own pokemon?"

"Not exactly." Ash said, but he refused to elaborate even when Gary pressed him for details, marveling at the coolness of the situation.

"Come on, tell me! I gotta learn how to do that chant thingy that you did to use this!" Gary said, waving the Wartortle excitedly.

Ash rolled his eyes. "Well, find out yourself. I'll see you at seven for our battle, until then, see ya!" He called. He fished a card out of his pocket. "Abra! Teleport us home!" Suddenly, both Ash and Pika-chan vanished in a poof of nothingness.

Gary growled. "Hey, that's my line!"

Back at home, Ash fixed meatloaf and green salad for both of them. They ate in silence, focusing all their attention on the food. Finally, when Ash passed out the fruit salad, he worked up his courage to ask Pika-chan a question that had been bugging him.

"But how can _Gary_ capture pokemon cards?"

Pika-chan shrugged. "You're the one with the key, but if he is the one who defeats the pokemon card, he'll get it."

"That's not what I meant. How come _he_ has magic? I never knew!"

"You never knew you had magic either. Your point is?"

Ash sighed. "I wanted to be special…"

"Maybe he doesn't." Pika-chan reasoned. "After all, if he can't use the cards, that means he doesn't have any."

"Oh." Ash said. Relieved, he dug into dessert with renewed vigor.

            "Now come on! Let's go!" Pika-chan said, pointing at the clock. "We need to get there early!"

            "Right!" Ash replied. He changed into the black jeans and T-shirt his mom had gotten for him last week. He kept his hat on, but the rest provided excellent camouflage.  He paused to put his poke belt on, and grabbed his league jacket as well. "Well, let's go, Pika-chan!"

            Pika-chan hopped onto Ash's shoulder. "Ready!"

            Gary, on the other hand, had eaten his dinner in a bit of shock. Even with the solid – and real – card in his pocket, his brain still refused to acknowledge the fact. His sister May noticed this inattention and commented on it.

            "Hey Gary, are you okay? You seem kinda out of it."  
  


            Gary looked up from where he was drawing patterns with the gravy on his plate. "It's nothing, sis. I'm just not that hungry."

            May frowned. "How many cookies did you eat this afternoon? I told you they would spoil your appetite, but would you listen?"

            "Now, now, May." Professor Oak said from the head of the table. "I'm sure Gary is just too excited to eat. There is a wonderfully informational program on T.V. tonight, and he probably just wants to finish so he can watch it."

            "Right!" Gary said, grabbing the excuse. He shoveled the rest of his food into his mouth, and quickly ran upstairs.

            "See?" Professor Oak said.

            May shrugged. "I guess you're right, Grandpa."

            "I am! Now, can you pass me some of that barbequed chicken?"

            Gary changed into dark clothes silently, not wanting to alert his folks downstairs. He buckled on his poke belt, and filled his backpack with some more poke balls. He didn't know how many pokemon Ash had, so he'd better bring as many as possible. He tucked his flashlight, Swiss army knife, and some extra poke balls in his backpack as well.

            "It's not fair. How did that loser get something this powerful? It's unfair! I'm surprised he hasn't blown anything up yet."

            Gary's Eevee shrugged from her perch on his pillow. She didn't know what this was all about, but it was a battle, so she prepared herself.

            When Gary was done packing, he opened his window and lowered a bed sheet, before climbing down.

            "Come on Eevee, let's go!"

End Episode 5


	6. in which tempers clash and battles are f...

Hi! Shadow here! Do you like the fic? I hope you do! It's a revised version, so I hope its better than the original!  
  


Episode 6: In which tempers clash and battles are fought

            Ash was already there when Gary arrived, dressed in dark clothes but still wearing that scruffy old League cap of his. Honestly! The guy had no fashion sense. However, he looked deadly calm, compared to Gary's nervous excitement.

            "Well? Are you ready?" Gary asked, seeing Ash looked disinterested.

            Ash raised a single eyebrow. "You _did_ challenge me, right? So let's get started!" He beamed at Gary brightly as he pulled a blue-and-white great ball out of his pocket.

            "All right! Go, Pidgeot!" Gary said, sending out his standard starter pokemon. It was one of the best on his team, and he could usually take out his opponent easily. However, Ash didn't look surprised at all.

            "Trainers usually have at least one flying type for travel reasons. I think this will do. Storm, I choose you!" Ash said. Outside of magic training and pokemon training, he acted like a kid, but he slipped into a serious mode whenever he trained.

            Gary stared as an elegant Dragonair materialized in front of him. However, he wasn't daunted for long. "Pidgeot, use Wing Attack!"

            "Dragonair, Thunderbolt!" Ash shouted. Dragonair nodded her head and charged up, golden sparks shooting from her horn and surrounding Pidgeot, which cawed weakly before falling to the ground, stunned.

            Gary scowled. Pidgeot by itself was usually good enough to take on all the others! "Very well then, since you went for type advantage, I'll do the same. Jynx, I choose you!"

            "Fire Blast." Ash said simply, before a stream of flames surrounded the Jynx, knocking it out instantly. However, Dragonair was starting to look nervous. He soothingly wrapped a cocoon of magic energy around her to calm her down. She visibly relaxed, waiting and ready for the next opponent.

            Gary began to think that he had _seriously_ underestimated Ash. He managed to form a coherent question, though. "Where did you get a _dragonair_?" 

            Ash walked over and put his arms around Storm's neck. "My mom brought her home from the pokemon center eight months ago. She was still a Dratini, then, but she was so weak that she needed care 24-7. I helped my mom take care of her, and after two months, when she was all better, the nurse joys let us keep her!"

            "Oh. Lucky duck." Gary said. He knew that his grandfather counted on him to complete the pokédex, and he also knew that he would probably never get a dragon pokemon, they were that rare.

            "Well?" Ash tapped his foot, impatient.

            Gary considered, before deciding on his choice. "Got it. Gyrados, go! Hyper Beam!" The powerful bolt of energy charged and blasted Dragonair full on before Ash had time to call out a defensive move.

            "Ouch." Ash said sympathetically as he recalled Dragonair to her great ball. He would have to pay more attention. However, now he would have to use his cards unless Pika-chan wished to fight.

            Ash looked at Pika-chan, who shook her head. Ash nodded. Pika-chan didn't have her full powers yet, so he should be more careful.

            Ash closed his eyes and summoned forth his wand without any incantations. It was a measure of how anxious he was. He immediately selected a pokemon card that could probably take Gyrados down, considering it still had to recharge after that hyper beam.

            "Raichu, go! Use Thunderbolt!" Ash called, releasing the electric squirrel. Raichu nodded its head in affirmation before letting loose a thunderbolt with a determined 'chu!' The light from the bolt illuminated the sky for a moment before it died down. Gary looked nervous, someone might have noticed, but when nobody came, he relaxed.

            Just in time to see his Gyrados crash into the creaky wooden floor, sending dust and wood splinters flying everywhere.

            Ash winced as he threw a weak psychic barrier over himself, Pika-chan, and Raichu. The debris impacted against the dome, but it held up.

            Gary wasn't so lucky. He ended up coughing and choking, but that was all the damage he had suffered. He recalled Gyrados in a beam of ruby light before turning to Ash with a determined expression. 

            Ash noted Gary's nervousness and smirked inwardly. This wouldn't be that much of a challenge after all.

            "Exeggutor, go!" Gary said, sending out the plump walking tree. The three heads all bobbed up and down as the pokemon regarded Raichu with a look of contempt. Apparently Gary's attitude had rubbed off on his pokemon.

            Ash thought fast. It was a psychic/grass combination type, which would have a dual advantage against Raichu. He turned to look at her, and was not surprised to see Raichu glaring at the plant. Well, if Raichu still wanted to fight, he wouldn't stop her.

            "Exeggutor, Psychic!" Gary called to his pokemon. But before the rings could impact, Raichu had already dodged them and launched Mega Punch at Exeggutor. Startled, the pokemon broke off its psychic assault and stared at the little… rat that had just attacked it. It got angry and began to use Barrage.

            Raichu began a series of fantastically acrobatic flips and twists, avoiding the falling coconuts. When she finally sensed an opening, she cracked her paws and unleashed ten thousand volts of thunder. Exeggutor was mostly immune to electric attacks, but it still staggered and toppled over.

            "Exeggutor, Recover!" Gary called. He couldn't let that Raichu win!

            Raichu launched herself towards Exeggutor in one fluid motion, before sinking her teeth into the bark of the pokemon. Exeggutor howled in pain, both from the attack and the fact that dark was good against psychic, though the scientists hadn't bothered to investigate yet.

            Satisfied, Raichu took a few more nips just to make sure her opponent was down, before trotting over to Ash's side. He favored her with a few pats on the head, before she was recalled. 

            Ash grinned recklessly. "So, Gary, are you still going to fight- OW!" Something had knocked him straight into the ground. Ash had been so focused on the battle that he had not noticed the lurking presence of one of the pokemon cards. The brown blur stopped moving and solidified into a sleek, deadly Sandslash.

            Ash propped himself up, rubbing his head. "Itai! Why do they always attack at the worst times?" He rolled his eyes, but twirled his staff, preparing to knock it out. "Go, Ivy-AAUGH!"

            Pika-chan flew down from her perch on one of the rafters just in time to see Gary's Arcanine knock her Chosen to the floor. What the heck was he doing?!  Pika-chan growled and her cheeks sparked as she pounced onto the Arcanine, zapping and scratching at the same time.

            Meanwhile, Gary was using his Alakazam to try and defeat the Sandslash. It was working quite well. Gary grinned triumphantly. "All right, then. This one's definitely mine."

            "What the hell do you think you're doing?!" Ash shouted angrily, as soon as he was released from the Arcanine. He whipped his wand around and focused a bolt of pure electric power on Gary, who fell over, paralyzed. Then, he turned to the Sandslash. "Return to your true form, pokemon card!"

            The Sandslash shimmered back into card form quickly, but this time, it didn't fly over to Gary. Ash breathed a sigh of relief as he quickly wrote his name on it. "What is Gary trying to do?"

            Pika-chan shrugged. "Perhaps he does not want you to succeed in your quest?"

            Ash growled. "Why that –!" He stopped himself before he finished the rest of his sentence. "Well, Gary, sorry, but Pika-chan chose me. Not you. I wanted to be friends, but since you want it this way, so be it!" With that, Ash turned and left, Pika-chan hopping onto his shoulder.

            Gary struggled to move, but he was stuck. He stayed there for two hours before the paralysis finally wore off. When he returned, his grandfather was displeased that he had snuck out to train, but was happy he had returned alive. Still, Gary got grounded for a week.

            His parents were _very_ unhappy when they found out, so they punished him by selling off several of his captured pokemon, including his Nidoking.

            This hit Gary very hard. However, instead of thinking it through calmly and rationally, he perceived it all as Ash's fault, so from that day on, he watched Ash, waiting for a chance to get revenge. He smiled sinisterly, Ash's pokemon journey was coming up, and if he got his way, Ash would not even leave Pallet Town alive.

End Episode 6

Yes, I know it's dramatic! I like dramatics! Anyways, leave a review or else I won't post the rest! Nyah!


	7. the calm before the storm

Episode 7 here! :() 

Disclaimer: Come on, I do not own pokemon. It belongs to Nintendo, Game freak, 4Kids, and some other large corporations. Not me! I have Destiny but that's it.

Italics will indicate translated poke speech, ** Are thoughts.

Timeline: 2 weeks after Episode 6.

Episode 7: Calm before the storm

            Pika-chan tugged on her sleeping Chosen's hair. "Wake up, Ash!" Today was the day when he would officially begin his pokemon journey, and she wanted him awake when he picked his starter pokemon. That was a very important decision.

            A muffled yawn was her only response. Undaunted, Pika-chan tried a more direct approach. She flew over to the drawer where the pokemon book was and pulled out a card. "Oh Vaporeon, could you do me a favor?"

            The card shimmered, turning into a sleek blue Vaporeon, which hopped onto Ash's desk. _What is it, Pika-chan?_

            "Can you wake him up for me?" Pika-chan asked.

            Vaporeon grinned mischievously. _Sure!_ She padded silently over to Ash's bed, where he was still sleeping. Then, she suddenly jumped up and unleashed enough water to fill three bathtubs on his body.

            That woke him up instantly. "Wha?" He looked around frantically, scrabbling for his poke belt, before he realized that it was just Pika-chan and Vaporeon. "You guys…"

            "We had to wake you up! You don't want to be late to Professor Oak's, do you?" Pika-chan asked. She pointed to the alarm clock.

            "AAAHHH!" Ash quickly dove into his bathroom. Within ten minutes, he was dressed and ready to head over to Professor Oak's laboratory.

            "I'll have breakfast ready when you come back!" His mom called. Delilah was making pancakes and bacon for her little boy. This was going to be such a special day! And tonight, Giovanni was coming over! She bubbled with excitement as she waved to him.

            Ash dashed through the door at light speed. "Thanks mom!" He called, before starting up the hill that led to Professor Oak's lab.

            Professor Oak was busy sweeping his floor, when the door to the lab clanged open and something heavy collided with him. 

            "Oh! Sorry, Professor." Ash said, helping him up. He had been in such a hurry that he had bowled the old man over. It looks like he had just blown his impression management _again_…

            Professor Oak stood and walked over to the table, which held the three starter poke balls. "Well, since you're here, I suppose you know which pokémon you want? The other two haven't gotten here yet."

            Ash put a hand under his chin as he considered. Pika-chan watched from inside his green backpack. She wanted him to pick an electric-type, but she knew that wasn't an option.

            "Can I have Squirtle?" Ash asked. Professor Oak shrugged and opened the poke ball, which depicted a drop of water on the front. Unfortunately, it was empty. Ash sweatdropped.

            "I thought I was the first one!" He complained.

            "Did you watch my pokédex show last night? I mentioned that we were fresh out of the normal starter pokemon, so you had a choice of Ponyta, Poliwag, or Bellsprout."

            Ash sweatdropped. He had missed the show because he had been off in the woods practicing his feeble teleportation skills. Ditto had been posing for him, but he hadn't asked it about T.V., figuring that it was unimportant.

            "Um, well, I guess I'll take Ponyta." Ash said finally, after several agonizingly long moments of decision-making.

            "Very well. Here it is." Professor Oak removed a standard red-and-white poke ball from a storage shelf set into the wall. Then, he also produced a pokédex and five poke balls. 

            "Cool!" Ash said, running off. Pika-chan sweatdropped from inside the backpack. At least with a Ponyta, travel would be much quicker. She hoped.

            Gary watched this scene with frustration. Apparently Professor Oak had forgiven Ash for the Beedrill incident. It just wasn't fair! He wanted to scream in frustration, but restrained himself. After all, he still had a few tricks up his sleeve…

            "Now remember, dear, you can't eat all the cookies on your first day of travel. And don't forget to pack enough clean underwear. And yes, those coupons are for fast food, just in case you run out of canned food. And don't forget to do your laundry every week! Remember, cleanliness is next to godliness, and I hope you have enough soap and shampoo, and…"

            Ash tuned out Delilah's long, drawn-out speech. Sure, it was probably of importance, but right now, he was too excited to care. He had already packed enough underwear to last a month (32 pairs), his blueberry-scented shampoo and soap set that Uncle something-or-the other had sent him for Christmas, at least it was coming in handy, plenty of canned food, some potions and other cures, Gatorade, two extra blankets, his sleeping bag, toothbrush and toothpaste, instant noodles, macaroni and cheese, and a first-aid-kit.

            "Mom, I'll be fine." Ash reassured her. "I'm twelve, remember?"

            "Yes, but- Oh! I forgot to give you these." Delilah reached into her purse and took out two small packages. "Giovanni told me to give these to you."

            "What is it?" Ash asked, accepting them. They felt very light, and he shook them, trying to figure out what was inside.

            "I don't know. He didn't tell me. Anyways, try not to eat too much junk food, and remember to brush your teeth twice a day!" 

            Ash sweatdropped. He tuned out the rest of her 'importance of dental hygiene' rant and opened the first package. To his surprise, it turned out to be a pair of dark blue fingerless gloves and a… scarf? He didn't understand what that was about, but the gloves would come in handy. All the pokemon trainers he had seen on T.V. had gloves for some reason. Probably to hold the poke balls before they threw them. 

            "Oh, how nice!" Delilah gushed. She handed Ash a wrapped package before continuing her speech. "There's dried fruit and beef jerky in there, so you don't get sick of canned food, plus some aspirin and cold medicine, just in case anything happens. There's also some bottled water, because you should never drink from the streams, it could be polluted. Also, Nurse Joy gave me some pokemon medicine that the center didn't need anymore…"

            Ash nodded absentmindedly and started opening the second package. This one felt harder, so he poked it a few times, seeing if there was a live Geodude in there or something. Nothing happened, so he tore off the wrapping paper like a madman, revealing a pink? Cell phone with a little note attached.

            _Ash, _

_            This is so you can call your mom no matter where you are. Don't worry; it's all paid for already. I hope you have fun on your journey._

_            Giovanni _

            "How thoughtful!" Delilah squealed. Ash wished that she wouldn't act so excited, _he_ was the one going on this journey, for heaven's sake! But if it kept her from continuing that long speech about how he should take care of himself, he could tolerate it. In his backpack, Pika-chan shifted uncomfortably. She hoped that would be over soon, otherwise she would go crazy!  
  


            Finally, Delilah finished the speech. She gave Ash a hug and two kisses on the forehead before waving as he left along the path.

            Ash sighed with relief as soon as he was out of sight. Pika-chan quickly fluttered out of his backpack.

            "That was so boring! How did you survive listening to all of it? I actually fell asleep!" Pika-chan said. She frowned at Ash. "And I almost suffocated!"

            "Sorry." Ash apologized. "Here." He handed her a bag of chocolate-marshmallow cookies. Pika-chan's face immediately brightened.

            "You're forgiven." She muttered between crunches. "Ahh… I love your mom's cooking."

            "Well, I'm afraid we're not going to get much of that on this training journey." Ash said a bit wistfully.

            Pika-chan shrugged. "Are you going to see your new pokémon yet?"

            "Yep!" Ash removed the plain, red-and-white poke ball from his simple black belt and spun it deftly in his fingers. "Ponyta, go!"

            There was a brilliant flash of red light, which finally faded, revealing a healthy-looking Ponyta, with a long flowing mane and tail. She looked at as questioningly, as if confused.

            "Hi, Ponyta." Ash said, walking up to her. "I'll be your new master now. Let's be friends, okay?" He asked, petting her on the head. Ponyta's head bobbed up and down, and she seemed to smile a bit.

            "Okay, let me introduce you to the others." Ash said. He removed Storm's great ball from his belt while Pika-chan hopped off his backpack. Dragonair materialized with a shimmery layer of sparkling rain covering her, while Pika-chan just flapped her tiny wings and waved.

            "This is Pika-chan! She's my guardian, plus she's the Decision Maker of the Kanto pokemon card set." Ash said, gesturing to Pika-chan, who chirped a greeting in pokespeech. "And that's Storm, she's a very nice Dragonair." Ash said. Storm flipped her tail and held it out for Ponyta to shake. Ponyta raised one of her hooves and they shook awkwardly.

            "Now that introductions are over, we should get going." Ash said. It was past noon, and he wanted to try and reach Viridian city before night fell. "Come on, Ponyta!" Ponyta stood still while Ash mounted her, even though he fell off twice, causing Storm and Pika-chan no little laughter. Pika-chan continued giggling during much of their journey, as Ponyta galloped smoothly across the tall grasses and towards Viridian forest.

            After about three hours, Ash stopped Ponyta so she could take a break. He set out bowls of standard poke chow, flavored with ketchup for Pika-chan, tuna fish for Dragonair, and lettuce for Ponyta. He also fixed himself some instant noodles. The four of them ate quietly, until they were ambushed.

            Later, when Ash reflected on the incident, he realized that if he had been paying attention to his surroundings instead of his food. Pika-chan realized that she should have sensed the presence of a pokemon card, since her power had risen, but she was too busy enjoying her ketchup-covered poke chow. Ponyta and Dragonair should both have sensed the presence of the wild pokemon, but unfortunately, they had also been too preoccupied with their meals.

            All in all, it had been a very good time for the Haunter card to strike. 

            It swooped down from the trees, cloaked in shadows. First, it stole Ash's ramen off the small fire where the water had been boiling, while his head was turned. When Ash turned around, he had immediately noticed that his Ramen was missing. Immediately, he had Dragonair shroud the area in mist, to protect them from any potentially troublemaking pokemon.

            Ash hadn't realized that this pokémon was a ghost type. As soon as the mist had covered their surroundings, Haunter had immediately stolen Dragonair's tuna fish covered poke chow and finished it off in 2.4 seconds. When Dragonair noticed her missing food, she had reacted in the worst possible way, with the worst possible attack. Dragon rage.

            Ash and the others barely had time to blink before they went sailing through the air, in the waterspout constructed by Dragonair's rage. However, Ash actually did the right thing in this situation. He quickly recalled Ponyta (giving Haunter the time to snatch the uneaten portion, unfortunately) and pulled his key out from under his shirt.

            "Key that hides the power of the elements, reveal your true form before me!  Your master under the seal of contract Ashura commands you, Release!" As soon as the wand appeared, Ash snagged it quickly and whipped out a pokemon card.

            "Tangela! Bind whatever's causing this trouble!" Ash called. Then, he soothing ran some more healing chi over Dragonair, calming her down. The storm immediately vanished like a wisp of smoke. 

            Tangela wasn't doing too well. Every time she managed to get a grip on Haunter, he would slip through her vines. And it wasn't just that, he stuck his tongue out at her too! Fuming, she doused him with about a pound's worth of sleep powder, knocking him into dreamland.

            Ash was smiling at Tangela's work and preparing to capture the card when he suddenly realized that since the gale force winds were no longer holding him up in the air, he was falling rapidly. He gulped and hoped that he wouldn't hit the ground as he tried to remember how the levitation spell went.

            Pika-chan saved him the trouble, by grabbing his t-shirt with her teeth and dragging him down slowly. Ash sighed in relief, before turning to the problematic pokemon that Tangela had downed.

            "Return to your true form, pokemon card!"

            Haunter disapperated into curls of purple smoke, before changing into blue energy that formed a blue card. Ash reached up and caught it, quickly writing his name on the bottom before it could escape and wreak more havoc.

            Pika-chan sighed in relief. "You're lucky I was there to catch you! Otherwise, you would be no more than a puddle of goo on the forest floor." 

            "I know…" Ash said sheepishly. "Oops."

"No problem. Just give me that strawberry taffy and you won't get hurt."

Ash groaned, but handed Pika-chan the candy. She stuffed most of it into her mouth, chewing methodically as she pondered the situation.

Ash still hadn't caught all of the pokemon cards yet, and he was already beginning his journey. She hoped that he would finish soon before he got into contact with civilization. Otherwise it would be too difficult to explain.

End Episode 7!


	8. I don't need a freaking fan club!

Hiya people! Episode 8 has arrived!

Disclaimer: I do not own pokemon. I own Destiny, and no, he's not a main part of the story yet!  
  


Timeline: This takes place the day after Episode 7

Note: I've decided to make another fic, 'Destiny's early life', take place before this fic. Technically, it can prequel to any of my fanfics but it works best for this one, so I'm going with the flow here!

Episode 8: I don't need a freaking fan club!

            Ash was riding Ponyta. To his surprise, no wild pokemon had attacked them yet. Ash supposed that it was because of Pika-chan's presence. She _was_ pretty darn powerful, as evidenced when she had beaten up Gary's Arcanine a few weeks ago. And she hadn't even been at full power yet! Maybe there _was_ a reason why she was called the 'Eternal Winged Pikachu of Greatness'. 

            "Daydreaming?" Pika-chan asked from his shoulder. At the moment, she was eating the potato chips he had been trying to save, and the crunching was very audible. Ash considered telling her to shut up, but decided it would be useless.

            "How can I daydream when you're eating potato chips next to my _ear_?" Ash asked, slightly sarcastically. Okay, so he wasn't in a very good mood, but the reason would soon be revealed.

            Pika-chan looked hurt. "Well…"

            "I guess I'm just surprised that no wild pokemon have apprehended us yet." Ash told her. "So, do you see any?"

            Pika-chan flew up and looked around for a few minutes. "Nope. It seems like they're trying to avoid you." She said.

            "Well, that sucks." Ash muttered. "How am I supposed to complete the pokédex if wild pokemon won't appear?"

            "I have no clue. Are you using Repel?" Pika-chan asked. 

            Ash glared. "I can barely _afford_ it, so no."

            Ponyta, sensing her rider's distress, decided to try and lighten up the situation. This involved galloping faster and faster while doing midair flips. By the time Ponyta stopped, both Ash and Pika-chan looked ready to hurl, but at least they weren't at each other's throats anymore. Ash noted with surprise that they were almost at 'Trainer's Test Forest'. The forest was named that, because most beginning trainers had to pass through it before reaching Viridian City. It was a stupid name though…

            "Thanks, Ponyta. I needed that." Ash told her, as he fed her a grass-flavored poke treat. He was standing, since he had been thrown off by the last flip. Amazing that he managed to survive the earlier ones. Ponyta crunched the treat and whinnied happily, glad that her passengers weren't cranky anymore.

            Pika-chan shrugged and floated off to examine a poster on the side of the road that had caught her attention. 

            "Oh look! Trainer tip! It says to look for items on the forest floor." Pika-chan said exultantly. 

            Ash sweatdropped. "Pika-chan…" How could she be so genki all the time? If it wasn't for the times he had actually seen her serious about something, he would have put her in the same category as some airheads which went to his school.

            "Well, let's go!" The guardian said joyfully. Ponyta looked up from where she was grazing and nickered softly. She was hungry!

            "Just a minute. Ponyta's still hungry, and I think I sensed something." Ash looked around, his senses on alert. Pika-chan stopped goofing off and focused her magic.

* There must be a pokemon card here… *

Ash looked around carefully, scanning for any suspicious-looking pokemon. However, he didn't find anything worth noticing. "Maybe it's just my nerves?" He asked Pika-chan.

"Either that or you're afraid of the dark forest ahead of you." Pika-chan said seriously. "Is there something you're not telling me, Ash?"

"Aw, Pika-chan!"

Pika-chan scampered out of his reach before he could whack her. "Just kidding! Now let's see. Did you bring your flashlight?"

Ash dug into his voluminous backpack. After a few minutes, he emerged, flashlight in hand. "Yep! What's it for?"

"This might be the Gengar card. It doesn't like light, so I was thinking, if you shone your flashlight around, maybe that would get its attention!"

"Great idea, Pika-chan!" Ash said. He summoned his staff forth and began shining the flashlight beam in a circle around his body. Soon, he hit something.

"Butterfree, go!" Ash called, the card transforming into the elegant butterfly pokémon. "Use sleep powder!"

Butterfree nodded its head and fired off a little tornado of sleep powder in the direction Ash had indicated. However, something prevented the impact and reflected it back into Butterfree's face, putting it to sleep.

"Butterfree!" Ash said, running over. Butterfree blinked tiredly before resuming card form. Ash narrowed his eyes. "Hmm…"

"Well, I don't think its Gengar, then." Pika-chan said.

"You're right. I'll use something different. Eevee, go! Sand-Attack!" Eevee appeared, wagging his tail perkily as he sent a blinding wave of sand in the direction of the shadowy form. Some coughing ensued. Ash blinked.

A minute later, a young boy carrying a camera stumbled out. "What do you think you're doing?!"

Ash quickly stuck his wand behind his back and shrunk it back into the key. "Why were you hiding out in the woods, anyways?"

"I was trying to get some pictures of wild pokemon!" 

"Well, who are you?" Ash asked, not as hostile this time.

The boy rubbed his eyes, trying to get the rest of the sand out. "My name's Todd, but you can call me Snap. I'm a pokemon photographer."

"Oh. Well, I'm Ash Ketchum. I'm going to become the world's greatest pokemon master!" Ash said. Pika-chan sweatdropped.

"Nice to meet you." Todd said. The two of them shook hands. Then, Todd brought up the subject, which had been plaguing him.

"Say, how do you do that nifty trick?" He asked.

"What?" Ash asked innocently.

"You know, when you hit a card and a pokémon comes out. That's just _so_ cool!"

Ash sweatdropped. * Oh Shoot! How the heck am I going to explain this? *

Providentially, he was saved from answering when the real pokemon card appeared. The blur resolved itself to be a deadly prehistoric pokemon. Aerodactyl.

"Okay, how do I do this?" Ash muttered, as he tried to think of something that wouldn't involve his pokemon cards.

"Use Dragonair. She might have a chance. After all, you've been practicing your spells to increase speed and strength on her." Pika-chan whispered into his ear. Todd hadn't noticed her wings yet, and she had quickly zapped them out of existence. Without them, she resembled a normal pikachu, albeit a bit smaller.

"Storm, go!" Ash called. Dragonair charged out of her great ball, her danger senses on alert. Ash grinned, he still couldn't remember how he and Storm had bonded, but it seemed like they had known each other before Delilah had brought her home from the pokemon center. When she spotted the Aerodactyl she immediately called down a storm. That stunned the rock pokémon, just in time for Todd to get a few shots with his camera. Then, while he was still busy focusing the long-distance lens on his camera, Ash whispered the incantation and pulled out his wand.

Dragonair now had Aerodactyl bound tightly with her body. _I've got him!_ She told Ash in pokespeech. They were so close that Ash could understand what she said perfectly.

Ash smiled. "Return to your true form, pokemon card!" Aerodactyl shuddered, before succumbing to the seal and changing back into a blue card that floated into Ash's hand.

Todd blinked as his subject suddenly vanished from view. "How did that happen?" he asked no one in particular.

Ash quickly wrote his name on the card and sent it into the pokemon book. By the time Todd finished puzzling and turned around, all evidence of Ash's magic powers was gone. 

"Storm, return. I'll give you extra tuna for dinner tonight." Ash called. He recalled her to the Great Ball and turned to leave, but Todd stopped him. 

"Wait! Can I travel with you?" He asked eagerly.

* Can it get any worse? * Ash asked himself mentally. He could feel Pika-chan's obvious distaste at the idea, but he couldn't just ditch the guy out in the wilderness by himself. Ash sighed. * Someday, my better nature is going to kill me. *

            "Fine." Ash muttered.

"Cool! Speaking of which, can I make you a costume? After all, if you're going to go around being a capturing those card thingies, you need to look cool!" Todd said.

"I am _so_ dead…" Ash muttered. 

Todd had begun doodling in his sketchbook. Ash resigned himself to his fate as he rode Ponyta slowly into the waiting darkness of Trainer's Test forest. Compared to Todd's chatter, the silence seemed much more welcoming.

"So, I guess somebody knows your secret now." Pika-chan said.

"It's not like I have a _choice_ here! I've heard of him – this guy's a famous photographer! If I don't take him with me, who knows what rumors he's going to spread? Or for that matter, what photographs are going to appear in Pokemon Pal?"

"You have a point there…" Pika-chan thought about the future as she floated along. Who knew how long Todd would tag along with them? And until Ash caught Mewtwo, if he ever managed to, there was no way to erase his memory. Gary was also a problem, but that could wait until later.

Todd hummed a pleasant tune as he walked along. He was sure that he would have plenty of chances to find rare pokemon. From what he had seen, Ash was rather experienced for a novice trainer. Maybe he could learn something from him.

The next day, Todd presented Ash with the costume he had made. Ash's initial reaction was shock, than disbelief, and finally anger.

"No! I won't wear it! I'll look like a glorified picture boy!" Ash cried. Pika-chan winced and covered her ears. Ash had good lungs, and could scream very loudly when he really wanted to.

"But it would look good on you!" Todd protested. He couldn't understand why Ash didn't like his creation. It consisted of a pair of dark blue pants that flared out past his ankles, a dark blue vest with a huge letter 'C' on it, over a white frilly shirt. The ensemble was completed with baby-blue boots with little wings attached to the ankles and a white cape. 

"That?!" Pika-chan could certainly understand her chosen's objections. He would resemble a peacock in that getup. 

"Can you at least try it on?" Todd pleaded.

Ash huffed and considered. "Fine. But I'm never going to wear it again." He proceeded to grab the garments and pop behind a neighboring bush. When he emerged five minutes later, Pika-chan nearly fell over laughing. His face was as red as a tomato, and he looked ready to kill Todd.

Todd didn't seem to notice. He clapped his hands excitedly. "It looks great on you! Just wait a minute!" He grabbed his camera and snapped several pictures before Ash could cover his face.

Ash fled. As soon as he was out of sight, he tore off the offending pieces of cloth and stomped them into the ground. Honestly! If Todd thought he was really going to wear that, the guy was off his rocker. _Way _off.

Pika-chan floated by a minute later, carrying a set of his spare clothes and his dark blue and red. "Here you go." She said gently.

"Thanks, Pika-chan. You are my only friend." Ash murmured. 

Pika-chan shrugged in midair. "I guess I'll just break the news to Todd gently."

"Yes! I don't need a 'Ash Ketchum is a card captor' fan club, thank you very much!"

"Well, it does sound intriguing…"

"Oh Pika-chan!" The guardian took off, her Chosen chasing close behind. Their laughter echoed through the forest.

End Episode 8. Please leave a review! One-word reviews are fine. Comments and Constructive criticism accepted. Flames will be used to roast marshmallows, over the burning embers of Nelvana's evil empire.


	9. Seeing is so not believing! Really!

Hiya! Thanks to all my fans! Here's episode 9!  
  


Disclaimer: I do not own pokemon. It belongs to Game Freak, Nintendo, 4Kids, etc. And even if I did make a profit, I would lose it to wild Meowths anyways. I do own Trainer's Test forest (Who would want it?) and Destiny.

Episode 9: Seeing is so _not_ believing. Really.

            Two days later, Todd was still trailing behind a severely- annoyed Ash. Ash was contemplating whether or not using his powers to toast his new 'tail' would be enough to get Todd away from him. He really hated his better nature at the moment. If it hadn't appeared, he wouldn't be saddled with this liability. Ugh. 

Pika-chan fidgeted nervously. She was picking up on her Chosen's mood though the emphatic bond they had only recently developed and it was making her quite edgy. Although she couldn't blame him, Todd _was_ annoying. But he wasn't very quarrelsome, which was a good point.

            "Ash? Can I have a snack? Please?" Pika-chan asked, her eyes going all big and teary, while shiawase bubbles shimmered behind her. Food always cheered her up, and right now she desperately needed some pampering. Pika-chan had gotten used to comfortable living during those months in Ash's house and it was hard to adjust to camping.

            "Well, I still have some dried apricots. Do you want them?" Ash asked, holding out the paper bag. He inwardly grimaced. Note to self. Buy lots of candy and pastries in Viridian City, otherwise Guardian will become wailing pichu when she finds out that we have run out of sweets.

            "Yep!" Pika-chan said. She happily chewed on the sweet, leathery treat and quieted down.

            Ash sighed. Maybe _now_ he would get some peace and quiet. He wondered why he hadn't bothered riding Ponyta. At least the exercise was strengthening his legs, though that was small comfort.

            Unfortunately, his wish was not to be fulfilled. The silence in the forest was untimely broken by a voracious exclamation.

            "Ash! Look! It's a Weedle! I gotta take a picture!" Todd said, as he ran over to snap a shot of the hairy bug pokemon. Ash rolled his eyes. Todd was so… annoying! Every five minutes, he was running off to try and take a picture of some bug pokemon… was the guy that obsessed with his camera?

            "It gets annoying, doesn't it?" Pika-chan asked, voicing her Chosen's rather unkind thoughts.

            "Pika-chan…" Ash's voice held a warning. He used her momentary distracted air to snatch back his bag of dried apricots.

            Pika-chan shrugged. "Well, he is very enthusiastic. I'm sure that if you develop that kind of enthusiasm, you'll do much better on your quest to capture all the cards."

            Ash huffed. "I'm already doing fine, thank you very much. But what I actually wanted to say is that talking with your mouth full is far from polite."

            Pika-chan scowled, before another thought hit her.

            "You know, I haven't sensed any pokemon cards since he came along. Maybe he's keeping them away." Pika-chan asked. "That _may_ be helpful."

            "But I thought there was a 1-year time limit!" Ash protested. "I only have about 3 months left." He didn't want to lose his powers just because he ran out of time! That would be so humiliating… he flushed as he thought about what Gary would say. Speaking of which, Gary still had the Wartortle card. That was like a thorn in his side that wouldn't go away.

            "Oh yeah." Pika-chan said sheepishly. Their conversation was interrupted when Todd came running.

            "Look! I found this Weedle that's got purple stripes! Honestly!" He began pointing back at a tree, pleading for Ash to come and look.

            Ash groaned. "Please, Todd. How stupid do you think I am?" He muttered under his breath.

            Pika-chan flapped her wings, announcing her restlessness.

            "No! It's true!" Todd said, dragging Ash behind him. Ash phased through Todd's body and peered at the bug. If it was a shiny Weedle, that would be good. Unfortunately… 

            "Todd, it's just an ordinary Weedle! Are you trying to pull the wool over my eyes?" He asked. 

            Todd looked crestfallen. "It was here a minute ago…"

            Ash put his head against one hand. "Todd… I allowed you to travel with me. I did not mean for you to waste my time!"

            Pika-chan fluttered onto his shoulder. Ash suddenly smiled. 

            "Well, see you in Viridian city, Todd. Ponyta, go!" Ponyta materialized in the customary flash of red light and neighed. Ash vaulted onto her back and waved at Todd. 

            "See ya!" He shouted, before taking off.

            Well, Todd might be a bit air-headed, but he was certainly persistent. "Lucky I brought my own pokémon… Kangaskhan, chase him!"

            Todd's purple Kangaskhan materialized in another flash of light and began chasing after the fleeing Ponyta.

            Ash looked back and saw the approaching cloud of dust. He swore under his breath as he nudged Ponyta to make her go a bit faster. The key around his neck began to glow a pale blue, sensing his irritation, when suddenly a thin beam of wavering blue light shot out into the surrounding canopy.

            Ash thanked his lucky stars that a pokemon card had chosen to show up now. He recalled Ponyta and quickly used the momentum from her gallop to launch himself into the nearest tree. Pika-chan managed to zap all the branches away from his face in time.

            "Well, I guess there _was_ a pokemon card in this forest!" Ash said excitedly. "Thanks, god."

            Pika-chan's ears pricked up as she listened. "Maybe it's the Primeape card."

            "But I thought Primeapes lives in desert scrubland." Ash replied, peering at his pokédex.

            Pika-chan swatted it away. "Ash, that's for normal pokemon! Pokemon cards are different!" 

            Ash frowned as he pocketed his pokédex. "Okay. Hmm…" He closed his eyes and tried to concentrate on the elusive cards' aura.

            Meanwhile, Pika-chan scanned the area. Nothing was peeking out of the trees, so it must be camouflaged very well…

            "That's it! I'm tired of waiting!" Ash announced after ten minutes of tense silence. He held his key out and shouted. "Magic to cards, cards to key!" This time, a thin beam of blue light shot into a tree truck nearby.

            "Could it be a bird pokemon?" Ash mused as he slowly approached the tree.

            "Who knows?" Pika-chan asked.

            "Well, I'd better use an electric type then. Go Raichu!" Raichu appeared and grinned cutely up at him. Ash smiled back. 

            "Okay, Raichu, your target is in that tree!" Raichu nodded and began shooting weak thunder jolts at the treetop, trying to scare out the wild pokemon card first. However, after a few minutes, nothing had appeared yet.

            "Hmm… try a stronger attack." Pika-chan advised. She had flown up and was circling the tree, waiting for the pokemon to appear.

            "Raichu, Thunderbolt!" Ash shouted. This time, there was a reaction. Unfortunately, it did not come from a hidden bird pokemon, but from the tree itself. The leaves parted to reveal three heads.

            "Oh! It's the Exeggutor card!" Pika-chan exclaimed. 

            "Aha!" Ash said. "Then it's a grass-type, right? Go Charmeleon!" The feisty fire lizard hopped out and immediately torched the moving tree.

            From a nearby rock, Todd pulled out his video camera and began recording. He could add this to his collection of taped pokemon battles! It was too good to miss! Too bad that Ash had refused his initial offer of a costume… maybe he should make a different one.

            Within a few seconds, Exeggutor was down due to Charmeleon's flames. Ash grinned triumphantly and swung his wand around. "Return to your true form, pokemon card!"

            The Exeggutor tried to run, but was trapped by the enveloping bands of blue light which were quickly liquefying it into a card. Ash held up his hand and neatly caught the card out of midair.

            "Great job!" Pika-chan shouted. She did a flip in midair and landed on Ash's head.

            Todd caught that as well, before regretfully closing his video camera and tucking it into his backpack. That would be a wonderful videotape to watch.

            "Say, where's Todd?" Ash asked a few minutes later.

            "Back there, probably." Pika-chan said. Indeed, Todd did walk out of the woods onto the path a few minutes later.

            "See? He probably got lost again."

            Todd inwardly smiled. That's what they thought! He patted his backpack to make sure his video camera was still there, before rushing up to join them.

            "Say Ash, I was wondering. What's your favorite color anyways?" Todd asked.

            Ash declined to answer and continued walking into the sunset. Todd followed, still calling out suggestions for costumes.

            Cue to last shot. Pika-chan's face lights up on the screen.

            "You know, when I signed up for this job, I never knew it would be like this. But hey, its fun, something new everyday! See ya!"

Fade to black.

End Episode 9!

Just kidding! So what _is_ Gary doing right now? Let's find out!

            "Aha! I gotcha!" Gary said triumphantly as he pounced on the poor Weepinbell as it tried to get away. Both his Charizard and Arcanine had obligingly toasted it until the pokemon card finally resumed card form. Unfortunately, it had broken out again a few seconds later, still weak but ready to get away.

            Gary had chased the card for half a mile on his Arcanine until the pokémon card had finally given up. Then, he had seized his chance. Using an ofuda he had bought from a priest to drive away evil spirits, he slapped it onto Weepinbell's head.

            The Weepinbell got all cross-eyed and fell over, unconscious. It stubbornly fought the foreign magic off, until it finally succumbed to the effects of the ofuda and reoccupied the card form.

            "Oh yeah! I rule!" Gary said proudly. His fan club took up the cheer as soon as he returned, the blue card triumphantly held in one hand. In neat cursive on the bottom were written the words Gary Oak.

"Gary, Gary, he's our man! If he can't catch them, no one can! Go Gary!" The girls shouted in unison, pom-poms flying.

Gary smirked. "Well girls, how about if we celebrate this great achievement. I'll take you all out to dinner."

"Ooh!" The group echoed simultaneously.

Gary gave himself a thumbs-up in the rearview mirror of his red sports car and climbed in.

He smiled. * Ash, this is no contest. Come on, do you honestly believe that you can beat Gary Oak? Yeah right! *

Okay, this is the REAL ending. Please leave a review and feed the starving authoress!


	10. Love is a factor in catching :

Episode 10! Wow! I can't believe I actually wrote this many! I just wanted to expand the original version a little, and look at how long it is now! I haven't even gotten to the Johto League yet, or Giselle! Not even the final judgment. This is cool! J

Disclaimer: I do not own pokemon. I only own some Neo pokemon cards, a copy of Pokemon Adventure, and pokemon bed sheets festooned with pikachus and squirtles. Nothing else.

Note: 2 days after Episode 9

Usul-lover888, no, there is no shonen ai here, and no, I wouldn't trust Gary with a sword! He gets a different weapon…

Tmp – yes, there is more coming! Don't worry!

Hollow shadows – don't worry, you'll see the funky outfits soon!

Everyone else, thanks for reviewing! And yes, I'm sure they'll be shocked when they figure out Ash is a legendary pokemon. Hehehehe…

Episode 10: Love _is_ a factor in catching! Don't forget!

            "Yay! We're finally out of that forest!" Ash said happily. He couldn't wait to ditch Todd. The photographer clung to him like a burr. 

            "Hot baths and a real bed sound good." Pika-chan said in his ear.

            "First, I gotta take Ponyta, Storm, and you to the pokémon center." Ash told her.

            "Oh, right! Well, I can definitely use some rest and relaxation." Pika-chan said.

            "Well, see you!" Ash said. He waved to Pika-chan and the others as he left them with Nurse Joy a few minutes later. Then, he headed to the pokemon mart. 

            "Let's see, I found a Nugget in the woods. Thank goodness I had the Meowth card. It sure came in handy!" Ash remembered how he had caught the Meowth card one night in Pallet. He hadn't planned to use it again, since it wasn't a very powerful pokemon, but when he had been forced to accompany Todd on a midnight trek in the woods in search of wild Oddish, he had released it, since it was nocturnal.

            Well, the Meowth _had_ come in handy. Otherwise, they would never have found their way back to the campsite.

            Ash checked his backpack. "Let's see, I need to get more Potions, and probably a couple of Antidotes as well. I also need to stock up on food. I wonder if there's a Laundromat where I can wash my clothes?"

            Ash wandered around Viridian city for a while. He _did_ find a Laundromat, to his relief, and a grocery store. Ash loaded up on candy and packaged cookies, plus some hot dogs and hamburgers that could be roasted over the campfire. When Ash had finished buying all his supplies, he returned to the pokemon center to meet with his friends. His pokemon, of course, _not_ Todd!  
  


            "Look!" Pika-chan said softly, as Ash entered the 'reserve' inside the pokemon center, where newly healed pokemon were kept. Ash followed her line of sight and his eyes landed on a Dragonair curled up next to Storm. It would have been unnoticeable, but Ash had sharper eyes than most, thanks to his magically enhanced eyesight, and he spotted the thin band of gold scales just below the tail.

            "So it's lying out here in plain sight." Ash said. He waved to Storm, who nodded her head back at him. The other Dragonair shifted to see what his friend was doing and spotted Ash. But instead of fleeing like all the other pokemon cards had done, this one just lay there and waited for him to make the first move.

            "How are you going to catch it? There are security cameras here, plus I see at least two assistant nurses working there."

            "Say, isn't that my mom?" Ash asked, shading his eyes.

            "So it is!" Pika-chan said in a slightly louder voice. 

            "Hey, mom!" Ash said.

            Ash's mom looked up. "Oh! Ash, I didn't know you were in Viridian City already!"

            Ash smiled. "I guess I didn't expect to find you here either. How are things at home?"

            Delilah smiled and immediately got a dreamy look in her eyes. "Everything's just wonderful. I miss you, of course, but Giovanni is always there to comfort me."

            Ash wisely did not say anything else on the subject.

            "So, did you catch any new pokemon?" Delilah asked. "It's the goal of every pokémon trainer to get a full pokédex, isn't it?"

            Ash looked down. "Well… only one. I caught a pikachu." 

            "Oh how wonderful!" Delilah said. "It seems very attached to you."

            Pika-chan waved from Ash's shoulder. Delilah laughed and waved back. "It's so cute!"

            "Yep. Say, that's Ponyta over there. Let me introduce her to you!" Ash whistled and Ponyta walked over.

            "Hi, Ponyta. This is my mom." Ponyta rubbed her head against Delilah's shoulder. Delilah smiled, delighted.

            "You have such well-behaved pokemon, dear. It's nice to know that you're training them with love and care. Your father would be proud."

            Ash nodded, not saying anything on that subject. Who knew what his mom might say about his father?

            "Well, I suppose you've come to claim them. Did you remember to wash your underwear?" His mom inquired solicitously. 

            "Mom!" Ash turned an alarming shade of crimson as his mom nudged him. 

            "Sorry, dear. Well, I suppose I'll get them for you." Ash's mom went over and told the Nurse Joy that Ash was going to reclaim his pokemon. Joy nodded and continued shouting orders to her Chanseys. There had been a car accident downtown, and now a Scyther and a Jolteon needed to be cared for.

            Ash quickly left, after he reclaimed his pokemon. Storm looked sad, she must like the Dragonair card.

            After Ash left, he turned to Storm. "Do you like him?"

            Storm turned pink around the eyes and nodded her head.

            "Okay. I'll help you." Ash told her. That night, he had Pika-chan scramble the security system and Haunter cloak him in mist as he went to find the Dragonair. Much to his relief, it was still in the pokemon center.

            But when Ash walked over, the Dragonair didn't attack him. It just stared. Ash turned to Pika-chan.

            "Why isn't it attacking? All the other ones did."

            "I think Dragonair likes your Dragonair." Pika-chan said. "There are some naturally peaceful pokemon, and Dragonair is one of them, and unless provoked, it does not enjoy attacking."

            "Cool." Ash said. He readied his staff and turned to he pokemon. "Return to your true form, pokémon card!"

            When Ash finished, he did a little twirl. Pika-chan cheered.

            "Good job, Ash!"

            "Thanks, Pika-chan!" Ash said, petting his guardian on the head. "So where do you want to go now?"

            Pika-chan put a hand under her chin as she thought. "Well… we could hit the Charmeleon Café."

            Ash sweatdropped. "Pika-chan, you _do_ know that it is three in the morning, right?"

            Pika-chan shrugged. "So?"

            Outside the window, Todd smiled happily as he recorded the new adventure. It was too bad Ash hadn't stopped by to ask for a costume first, that would have looked really cool! He smiled as he turned off his video camera and took off.

            Ash shrugged and picked up his guardian. "Come on, we should go to bed! Tomorrow, we head to Pewter city!"

            "Don't we have to go through Viridian Forest?" Pika-chan inquired politely. "Maybe there will be more pokemon cards there."

            Ash looked interested. "Maybe. But that means we need our sleep!" He grabbed the unsuspecting guardian and raced to his room.

            "But I'm hungry!" Pika-chan complained. "And midnight snacks are in style!"

            Ash rolled his eyes. "Pika-chan, do you think with your head or your stomach?" Pika-chan glared.

            "I need food to give me energy so I can stay alive!" Pika-chan pointed out.

            "Okay, okay! I have some food in my backpack. But we can't go out to eat! Okay?"

            "Okay!" They shook hands (or paws) on it. Then, Ash returned to his room. On the way back, he bumped into Todd, who was in his pajamas, carrying a big bulky object. He also had an armful of cloth…

            "Todd? Shouldn't you be asleep?" Ash questioned.

            Todd quickly held up his video camera. "But I had to record the adventures of Card Captor Ashura!"

            Ash's eyes widened to the size of saucers. "WHAT?!"

            "Well, it's true!" Todd explained.

            Ash took a few very deep breaths. * Must not kill annoying photographer, since I _did_ allow him to travel with me. Must not kill. Must not kill. *

            "Can you leave him alone?" Pika-chan pleaded. "You're making my Chosen nervous and irritable! That's not a good combination!"

            Todd shrugged. "But this would make such a good movie!"

            "You'll do no such thing!" Ash said harshly. He deliberately turned his back on Todd and left.

            Todd made a face. "Well, it would! Besides, I have this great new costume!" He stared after Ash's retreating back with fire burning in his eyes. * This guy doesn't know how to grab opportunity by the throat, does he? *

            When Ash got back to his room, he procured a box of lemon meringue cookies and handed it to Pika-chan.

            Pika-chan's eyes lit up. She immediately pounced on the box. Within seconds, all the cookies were gone.

            "Just how fast _can_ you eat anyways?"

            Pika-chan looked offended. "For your information, I can eat very fast and not get indigestion."

            "I know. But how can I get Todd to stop following me around with a camera?" Ash asked. "And what about those 'costumes' he insists on making?"

            Pika-chan nodded and thought hard. "Maybe we could convince him to follow Gary!"

            "Hey, that's a good idea." Ash said. "I'll pop it on him tomorrow."

            Meanwhile, Gary is out in a forest…

            "Pidgeot, finish off that bug!" Gary shouted. Pidgeot nodded and focused another round of wing attacks on the battered Scyther.

            "Gary, Gary, he's so cool! When he fights we know he'll rule! Go Gary!" His cheerleaders shouted.

            Gary smirked at the Scyther, which was still glaring at him defiantly. "Heh. You can't escape now!"

            He nodded to Pidgeot and threw it an ofuda. Pidgeot nodded and slapped the Scyther on the head with the mystical ward while delivering yet another Wing Attack.

            The Scyther glared, but obligingly faded into a card, due to the power generated by the ofuda.

            "Well, at least Ashy-boy won't be getting his hands on this one!" Gary said proudly.

            Ruby, one of the cheerleaders, came out of his car and put her arms around him. "Gary, can we go back to the hotel now?"

            "Okay girls, time to head back!" Gary announced. 

            Ruby wound her arms tighter around him. "It's lucky you didn't send your Pidgeot back to Professor Oak." 

            "Yes." Gary said. He petted Ruby on the head. He actually enjoyed the company of his cheerleaders. After all, where was the fun in traveling by yourself? He knew that with the supply of ofudas he had gotten from that old Shinto temple, he would be able to catch at least twenty more pokemon cards. It was lucky that he had 'felt' Scyther's aura earlier today. Now, he was possession of a powerful pokemon card.

            The group headed back to their hotel, where they slept soundly. Sunrise might bring a new adventure? Who knows?

            And back in his room, Ash and Pika-chan plotted how to get Todd away from them.

End Episode 10!

Please leave a review and feed the poor starving authoress! Flames will be used to forge a… Suboshi UFO catcher doll! 


	11. Competition comes in very unlikely forms

I love my reviewers! *Ahem.* Here is Episode 11! 

Disclaimer: I only own Destiny, Pika-chan, the cards and everything associated with this fanfic. Please note that Pokemon belongs to Game Freak, Nintendo, etc.

Note: I am not writing yaoi! Just telling you ahead of time. Since Misty's not here yet, there is no AAMRN either. Yet. ** Indicates thoughts, Italics indicates translated poke speech…

Tmp – thanks for reviewing! Ofudas are wards used to seal or control demons/elemental creatures, and yes, Gary does have a magic aura! No, I don't do Palletshippy, which means no Ash/Gary pairing. First reviewer for this chapter!

I didn't get any more, so… no more little reviewer notes!

Episode 11:  Competition comes in very unlikely forms. 

            Much to Ash's disgust, Todd had followed him out of Viridian City and now they were trekking through Viridian Forest together.

            Todd's chatter was, fortunately or unfortunately, depending on your point of view, keeping all the wild pokémon away.

            Ash was in a bad mood since Todd stuck to him like a burr. He would just _not _go away! His eyebrows were already visibly twitching at supersonic speed, but Todd was oblivious to that fact.  
  


            Pika-chan floated ahead, setting her sights out for any possible pokemon. Ash hadn't caught any yet, and he wasn't feeling too happy about that fact. * Maybe I should tell him that he can use his pokemon cards if he passes the test of Mastery, * Pika-chan thought. She cast another look at her Chosen, who was now beginning to tic with irritability. 

            Ash was incoherently grumbling under his breath. "Stupid Todd. Why won't he leave me alone?"

            Todd suddenly squealed in excitement. "Look, Ash, it's a Gloom!"

            "Eh?" Ash turned to look. His face brightened almost immediately. "It's a pokemon card!" He whipped out his staff with a shortened version of the incantation and turned to face the wild pokemon. However, Todd stopped him. 

"Wait, you have to change first!" He said. He dragged Ash behind a bush. A few minutes later, Ash emerged, dressed in a new costume. His face was beet red. This costume was specially cued towards the hope that the pokémon would be a grass type. It consisted of a dark green tunic festooned with small white flowers and curly vines that were a lighter shade of green, over pants, boots, and a long-sleeved shirt. The shirt was white with bunches of lace at the cuffs and throats, fastened with small yellow flowers. The plants were dark grey and covered with Ash leaves, which unfortunately, were fluorescent green. The boots were okay though, they were dark brown and made out of leather. Ash decided that it was comfortable, but he wished it wasn't so… green.

"Can I start now?" Ash pleaded. The aura of the enemy pokemon was making his nerves tingle with a feeling akin to excitement, and it was exceedingly difficult to stay still.

"I'm all ready!" Todd said, whipping out his video camera. He spoke into it for a few minutes, giving the date, time, and recording title.

 "Pidgeot, go!" Ash sent out his favorite pokemon card, knowing that it would probably be a quick capture.

            Pidgeot nodded and cawed. She glowed as she powered up her Sky Attack, feathers gleaming brightly in the sunlight.

            The Gloom knew it was in danger, so it instantly began to release a bad smell.

            Ash clamped his hands over his nose. "Oh shoot. I forgot about that!"

            Pika-chan quickly flew over to help.

            "What do I do?" Ash asked. It sounded garbled, since he was trying not to breathe. Pidgeot was having the same problem, but she valiantly tried to attack. Unfortunately, the Gloom released a particularly strong burst of scent as Pidgeot came close. Pidgeot fell over, coughing.

            The Gloom then extended its legs and booted Pidgeot into the air. Pidgeot, beaten, although unconventionally, fell to the ground in card form.

            Todd was now recording with zest and zeal. "I'll call this one – Attack of the wild Gloom!"

            "You'll do no such thing!" Ash yelled back, as his hands clenched at his sides. If the costumes weren't bad enough, this guy insisted on calling him a superhero. That was a mistake, as it left him wide open to Gloom's next burst of odor. Ash fell over, cross-eyed. Pika-chan hurried to revive him. She raised her eyebrows at the costume, but didn't comment on it.

            Todd thought. "Hmm… Glooms stop smelling bad when they feel like they're not in danger anymore. I can help." He handed his video camera to his Kangaskhan and rushed over to the Gloom's side.

            "Now, now, I won't hurt you." Todd said reassuringly. The Gloom glanced at him suspiciously, but sensing no anger in his aura, relaxed.

            "Great!" Todd said. He turned to Ash, who was propped up using his wand. He still looked dazed.

            "Don't worry, Gloom. I promise he won't hurt you either." Todd reassured the smelly pokémon. Gloom frowned. 

            _I don't trust him. But I will go with you_. It said in pokespeech. 

            Pika-chan flew over to Todd. "Well, I think Ash is still out. I could use some help here!"

            Todd ignored her. 

            Pika-chan turned red. She began to spark angrily. Gloom noticed and jumped in front of Todd.

            "Oh no." Pika-chan muttered. "It seems to be attached to him."

            Todd smiled at the Gloom, who timidly smiled back.

            Pika-chan gritted her teeth. * This is not good! Ash already has _Gary _as competition, and now this _idiot _wants to join the hunt as well?! *

            Todd finally noticed that Ash was still out. He immediately dumped some cold water on the stunned card captor.

            Ash shook himself as he revived. "Pika-chan? What happened?" He quickly looked around for any harbingers of danger. Finding none, he felt safe enough to stand enough and ready his wand.

            Pika-chan fluttered over. "You got so annoyed that you left yourself open for Gloom's attack. Haven't I taught you to be more careful?"

            Ash blushed in shame. "Sorry, Pika-chan." Then, he looked around. "So, where's the Gloom. Did it run off?"

            "No." Pika-chan pointed to Gloom, who was now firmly attached to Todd's arm.

            Ash groaned as he saw the look of love and adoration in the weed Pokémon's eyes. "This is _not_ good."

            "I know." Pika-chan whispered. "But now that it is off its guard, you can capture it!"

            Those words galvanized him into action. Ash nodded and focused his energy on his staff. "Return to your true form, Pokémon card!"

            Gloom shrieked as it was captured. Todd stared as the pokemon went into card form. However, it flew to him.

            Ash dropped his staff in frustration. "Great! Just Great!" He said. "And I thought _Gary_ was bad! Why me?" He was near tears by now. Pika-chan patted him on the head with a paw sympathetically.

            Todd looked curiously at the card he now held in his hand. The Gloom seemed to be winking at him.

            "Well, I guess I'll take this one." Todd said.

            "But!" Ash was about to say something else, when Pika-chan shushed him.

            It was too late. Todd turned to Ash. "Did you say you would do anything for them?"

            Ash gulped.

            Todd grinned triumphantly. "Okay, let's make a deal. I'll let you have this one if you wear my costumes!"

            Ash groaned. Pika-chan shook her head. "Why can't you think before you speak?"

            Ash paled. "Um… But I already wore a costume! So there!"

            "Well?" Todd started thinking of all the costumes he would make. Then, his mind caught up with his ears. "Oh darn." 

            Ash sweatdropped. "Sorry, but no deal!" He said. * I am not going to wear any of those frilly things! *

            Todd pouted. "Kay, then I'm keeping this." He fished a black pen out of his pocket and wrote his name on the bottom in bold letters.

            Ash sighed. "Well, it can't get any worse, right?"

            Pika-chan looked at him. "Are you sure?"

            "Never mind! I'll just shut up now!" Ash said. "Ponyta, go!" He released the fire horse and jumped onto its back. Ponyta took off like a bolt of light.

            Pika-chan managed to grab hold of Ponyta's tail. Ash hoisted her up. The two rode off as fast as they could.

            Todd frowned. "Aw, they're no fun at all!" He lamented.

            His Kangaskhan shrugged and handed back the video camera. Todd turned it off and began to mope again.

Let's see what Gary's been doing…

            Gary and his cheerleaders were floating in the hotel pool. His pokemon were running laps around the indoor track.

            "Keep up the work, guys!" Gary called.

            Ruby suddenly splashed him with a wave of water. Gary spluttered and glared, before dunking her.

            "Water fight!" Emerald called. She began throwing smaller waves at the other cheerleaders. An all-out water fight ensued.

            Gary grinned as he pulled a shrunken poke ball out from underneath his necklace. This would be for payback. 

            "Squirtle, go." He whispered. Squirtle nodded and began using Bubble on the poor cheerleaders.

            "Hey, Gary! That's not fair!" Ruby protested as a stream of bubbles hit her.

            "All's fair in water fights!" Gary called, splashing Emerald, who had gotten too close to him.

            Emerald squawked before she pulled her goggles on and doused him with a huge wave of water.

            They played around for a while. Finally, Gary got out of the pool.

            "Come on, girls! Let's not miss dinner!" He called. "I'm going back up to my room to change!"

            Gary changed into his purple t-shirt and black jeans, after a long, luxurious shower. He was going to leave, when he noticed the water was still running.

            "What? I thought I turned it off!" Gary tried to close the faucet, but it was already shut.

            Just then, there was a twinge along his feeble, but still existent, magic aura.

            "It must be a pokemon card!" He said, coming to the logical conclusion. He looked around, and finally spotted something in the shower stall.

            "Squirtle, chase it out!" Gary called, as he slammed the bathroom door, trying to prevent the escape of the mysterious pokémon.

            Squirtle nodded and jumped into the shower. The sound of scuffling was heard. Finally, Squirtle dragged a Seaking out by the tail.

            "Great!" Gary said. Then, he realized that he had left his ofudas in his backpack. He quickly raced out the door to get them.

            When he got back, Seaking had managed to knock Squirtle out with a well-aimed horn attack.

            Gary growled and slapped an Ofuda onto its tail, that being the safest part. The pokemon writhed around, trying to escape, but it finally melted into a blue card.

            "All right! I got Seaking!" Gary cheered. He quickly wrote his name on it in a highlighter he just happened to have.

            Then, Gary went off to dinner, feeling content and happy.

            Ash, on the other hand, was drowning in a sea of misery. He had finally managed to free himself from Todd's elaborate costume, and now he was feeling down. Still, there was one good point. Todd was still raring to video tape him. If only he could stop Todd from participating…

            "What's wrong?" Pika-chan asked.

            "Did you feel that? Gary just caught another pokemon card."  
  


            "How do you know its Gary?"

            "Because I don't think Todd has any magical items he can use to catch them." Ash replied. 

            "Oh." Pika-chan looked at her disconsolate Chosen and sighed. "Ash, don't worry. I chose _you_, not them. They shouldn't even be catching the cards, because without the wand, it is nearly impossible to pass the Test."

            "The Test?"

            "You have to pass a test to become master or mistress of the pokemon cards." Pika-chan replied. 

            Ash looked slightly happier. "So I have a pretty good chance?"

            "As long as you do not use a Psychic or normal pokemon. The judge controls those aspects." Pika-chan replied.

            "Thanks, Pika-chan." Ash said, hugging the guardian to his body. "I don't know what I'd do without you."

            Pika-chan accepted the hug. Then, she turned to Ash with a twinkle in her eye. "Got any snacks?"

            "Oh, Pika-chan!" Ash sighed. He produced some honey cookies from his backpack.

            "Yum!" Pika-chan said. Then, she dove into the cookies. Ash smiled as he looked at his guardian. She was so cute!

            "Well, come on. Why should we waste time loitering around? Without Todd around, there's lots of pokemon to catch!" 

            "You're right!" Ash said. And with that thought, both of them charged into the surrounding woods.

End Episode 11!  
  


I bet you didn't expect Todd to become Ash's rival, did you? Don't worry; he won't be Ash's rival for long. Oh well. Please leave a review! Comments and Constructive Criticism are good; Flames will be used to weld a staff for the authoress. Yep, I want one too!

            *_*.


	12. challenge of the samurai!

Episode 12! Yes, I know I promised to post CCM, but I have to finish Card Captor Ashura first! Please be patient!

Disclaimer: Pokemon belongs to Game Freak, Nintendo, 4Kids, etc. I am just a poor fanfic writer. However, if you want to use anything, ASK FIRST! It's amazing how many people like to steal my ideas…

Note: Yes, Ash HAS ditched Todd! Todd has flown to Pewter to wait for our hero.

Episode 12: Challenge of the Samurai! 

Note: Yes, I know I stole a title. Sorry, 4Kids!

            Ash was walking through Viridian forest. He was in a slightly better mood, since he had actually managed to catch a Butterfree. However, he was running short on food, and that made him cranky.

            "Spam again?" Pika-chan asked in disgust. "But we've had that for the past three nights!"

            "Well, the store was having a sale on it." Ash replied. "Besides, I don't think you'd like the creamed corn?"

            Pika-chan blanched. "Not cold! I wouldn't mind a nice bowl of hot, steaming corn soup though…"  
  


            Ash looked thoughtful. "Well, if we could find some water, we could make corn soup."

            "Cool! I'm going to look for a stream!" Pika-chan said. Then, she flew off.

            Ash shrugged. He released Storm, who nudged his head affectionately. Then, they both started searching for wild pokemon.

            Finally, Storm found a flock of Pidgey. Admittedly, she had startled them when she had crashed into a tree, but now the air was full of flying pokemon.

            "Storm, Thunder!" Ash called. Storm nodded as electric waves shot from her horn. Several birds dropped to the ground.

            "Poke ball, go!" Ash said. The ball glowed, before sucking in the bird pokemon. Ash spun around and did his 'V' for victory pose. "Yeah! I caught Pidgey!"

            Storm nodded her head up and down. Ash hugged her. "Thanks, Storm! I'll give you a rare candy with lunch today."

            Storm keened happily.

            After half an hour, Pika-chan still hadn't returned. Ash began to get worried, so he went off to look for her.

            Samurai grinned. Now he would have a challenger!  
  


            He stepped out, pointing his sword at Ash's nose.

            "Halt! Are you the trainer from Pallet?" Samurai asked.

            Ash blinked. "Uh… yes?"

            "We must battle!" Samurai lowered his sword. Ash just stared at him _very_ oddly. "It shall be a two on two battle."

            "Bring it on!" Ash said. He grinned.

            "Pinser, go!" Samurai called. 

            Ash blinked. Then, he pulled out his pokédex. It was rare for him to encounter an unknown pokemon, after all the T.V. and studying he had done, but he had no clue what this was.

            Dexter beeped. "Pinser. The Stag beetle pokemon. When the temperature drops at night, it sleeps on treetops or among roots where it is well hidden."

            "Oh. A bug!" Ash grinned cockily. "Well, then, I choose Ponyta!"

            "Pinser, Clamp it down!" Samurai called. 

            "Ponyta, Agility!" Ash called. Ponyta's movements suddenly became a blur as it zipped around the Pinser in circles. The Pinser blinked in confusion.

            "Great, now use Flamethrower!" Ponyta reared back and spat out flames, torching the unfortunate bug pokemon.

            "Amazing!" Samurai said. He thought quickly. * I can't use my Metapod. It would die instantly. I know! I shall use my Vulpix! *

            "Vulpix, go!"

            Ash blinked. "So now its fire vs. fire. Ponyta, Agility again!"

            "Vulpix, counter with your own agility!" The two pokemon ran around each other, but Ponyta finally got tired, giving Vulpix the opening to use Confuse Ray.

            "Ponyta, Return! Storm, I choose you!" Storm yawned as she popped out. She shook herself before floating in front of the Vulpix.

            "A dragonair?!" Samurai asked in shock.

            "Yep. Storm, use Bubblebeam!" Storm nodded and sent a concentrated beam of bubbles at the poor Vulpix, which was spun around like a top for a few minutes before it finally fainted.

            "Wow…" Samurai said. He grudgingly looked at Ash. "I have lost. But it is nothing more than I would have expected from a trainer from pallet."

            Ash perked up. "Wait a minute… have there been other trainers?"

            "There were three fantastic battles!" Samurai proclaimed, as he drifted into memory. "I lost every time. But I vowed to train harder! Alas, all my efforts have come to naught, for I have been beaten again."  
  


            Ash decided that this poor kid probably wasn't a hotshot trainer. "Oh well. See you." He said.

            "Wait!" Samurai snapped out of his trance. "I can show you the way out of this forest."

            "You can?" Ash asked in obvious relief. "That's good. I've been lost for days!"

            "Here. Follow me." Samurai said. 

            "Well, not yet. First I have to find my Pikachu. She went off to search for water." Ash reported.

            Samurai shook his head. "Oh unfortunate one! I am afraid you will never see your Pikachu again, for that stream lies beside the hives of the Beedrills."

            Ash paled. "Oh no! Well, that means I have to save her!" He was about to run off, when Samurai stopped him.

            "I will show you the way, but I am afraid it will be too late to save your poor pokemon." He said.

            "It will be faster if we ride." Ash said. He released Ponyta. Then, he ran healing chi over its body, like he had done to Storm before. Ponyta brightened up almost immediately. 

            "Show me the way!" Ash called, as he heaved the startled Samurai onto Ponyta.

            "Very well!" Samurai began giving directions to Ponyta. Ponyta galloped towards the stream at a very fast rate. When they got there, they saw Pika-chan zapping Beedrills away from herself. 

            "About time you got here!" Pika-chan shrieked as she zapped another Beedrill. "These bugs are awfully territorial! I didn't even go near the nests!"

            "Ponyta, use Flamethrower!" Ash shouted. Ponyta nodded, and flame broiled several of the unfortunate flying bugs. Pika-chan took advantage of the momentary lull in the battle to rush back to Ash's side.

            Samurai helped out by commanding his Parasect to use Stun Spore on the bugs.

            However, more Beedrills kept coming. Ash narrowed his eyes.

            "Samurai, are there supposed to be this many?"

            Samurai shook his head. "I have lived in this forest for a long time, but I can safely assure you that the Kakunas are evolving abnormally fast at this time. Otherwise, there would be far less Beedrills."

            "Oh." Ash jumped off Ponyta and ran back a few feet, so he would be out of earshot. Then, he whispered to Pika-chan. "Pika-chan, is there a pokemon that can control time?"

            "Not in _this_ deck, there isn't." Pika-chan whispered back.

            "Well, then what else could it be?" Ash inquired.

            "Maybe its not real pokemon. Some of the pokémon cards have the power to create illusions, like Jynx or Mr. Mime."

"Aha!" Ash said. "Well, in that case… Key that hides the power of the elements, reveal your true form before me! Your master under the seal of contract Ashura commands you, Release!" The golden magic circle formed under Ash's feet as the key around Ash's neck glowed and changed into the wand.

"Haunter, go!" Ash shouted. Haunter slowly floated towards the Beedrills, searching for the source of power. When it pinpointed the exact location, it fired off a Nightshade attack.

Ash and Pika-chan both watched anxiously, expecting a psychic pokemon to jump out. However, nothing happened.

"Haunter, try again!" Ash called. Meanwhile, Ponyta (with Samurai still clinging to her back) was getting tired. Samurai was getting nervous, since the bugs were still coming and attacking with fury.

"Parasect, Spore!" He called, trying to put the Beedrills to sleep. Some of the bugs immediately dropped to the ground, asleep, but others kept coming. Samurai gulped.

"What do we do?" He yelled. Ash shrugged his shoulders.

"Just keep attacking!" He yelled back. "Haunter, use Confuse Ray instead!"

This time, the illusion shuddered for a moment, before steadying again.

"It is a pokemon card! But I don't think it's a psychic type!" Pika-chan observed.

"Haunter, come back!" Ash said. Haunter looked miffed, but returned to card form. Ash pulled out another card.

"I guess it's a normal type then… normal is weak to fighting… go Machop!"

The Machop blinked as it materialized. 

"Your enemy's over there." Ash said, pointing. Machop nodded and slowly walked over, before launching a powerful Karate Chop against the invisible entity.

With a cry, the illusion vanished. Samurai blinked. "Where did all the Beedrills go?"

"It's the _Clefairy_ card! It was using Metronome!" Pika-chan said.

"Great! Return to your true form, pokemon card!" Ash said. Clefairy actually winked at him before it resumed card form and floated into his hand.

Pika-chan shrugged. "Clefairy was always a joker."

"Oh." Ash sweatdropped.

Samurai nudged Ponyta back towards Ash. Ash quickly zapped his wand back to key form. 

"How did you do it?" He asked in awe.

"Something was controlling the Beedrills." Ash said.

"Ah. Well, I shall escort you out of the forest now." Samurai said. Ash nodded and filled several bottles with water from the stream, before following the kid out towards the exit.

Now what has Todd been doing?  
  


Right now, Todd was still in Viridian city. He hadn't decided to leave yet. He was going to hang around and wait until Ash went for the Earth badge.

So what has Gary been doing?

Hmm…. I don't know! Okay, okay, I'll write something!  
  


"Come on, Squirtle! You have to beat that Growlithe!" He called. Another trainer in the hotel, by the name of Katherine if anyone is interested, had challenged him to a battle. Of course, due to his ego, he hadn't refused.

"Growlithe, ROAR!" Kathy called.

Squirtle eeped and dived back into its poke ball, as Gary groaned.

"Okay. Fine. You asked for it. Rhyhorn, go! Use your Stomp attack!" Rhyhorn poofed out in a bright flash of scarlet and stomped on the poor, unfortunate Growlithe, which yelped and went still.

"Oh no! Growlithe, come back!" Kathy said. She sighed. "I guess you win."

"Gary, Gary, he's the best! We know he's better than the rest!" Gary's cheerleaders called.

"That's right, girls!" Gary said. "Nobody can beat Gary Oak!"

Gary returned to his room to shower. He didn't expect to run into another pokemon card.

"Aw, well. It's just a Raticate. That's easy." Gary said. He simply slapped an ofuda on its head. The Raticate was too startled to react, so it quickly reverted back into card form.

"Hah, no challenge at all." Gary said confidently. He grinned at his reflection in the mirror and went to shower.

End Episode 12!

You will leave a review. You _will_ leave a review. My spell has been cast. You will leave a review!


	13. Boy, he had it all planned, didn't he?

The unlucky Episode 13 has come! 

_Aw, don't tell me you actually believe that superstition, Phantomness?_

 Shut up, Ash, this is my fanfic! If I wanted, I could make Gary the hero!

_What? But it's Card Captor Ashura!_

Maybe I should call it _Cardcaptors_. *Evil grin*

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! Kill the dub! Kill the dub! Nelvana shall die! Kill it!  
  


Just kidding! But you'd better behave…

_Okay, okay!_

Ahem. Anyways, I'm glad all of you reviewed! Many thanks. *Bows and glomps reviewers happily*

Tmp – I can't tell you the ending, but Todd won't win. Sorry, he won't die either; he is part of the plot…

?????? and Usul-lover88, thanx for your support!

Yeah! Review and make the authoress happy, otherwise she won't write about me anymore. *Sad face*

Disclaimer: I do not own pokemon. It belongs to Nintendo, 4Kids, Game Freak, Shogakukan comics, and who knows what else? But the idea and fanfic are mine, so don't steal please! If you want to archive it on your website, e-mail me first!  
  


Episode 13: Boy, he had it all planned, didn't he?

            The exit loomed in front of them. Ash cheered. So did Pika-chan.

            "We're finally out of this forest!"

            Pika-chan did a happy little dance on Ash's shoulder. 

            "Indeed we are." Samurai said. "I shall take my leave of you now. Yonder lies Pewter City."

            "Isn't that where the first gym is?" Ash asked.

            "Ah, you are perceptive. Indeed, the first challenge lies there." Samurai said.

            "Well, nice to have met you. Good-bye!" Ash said. He waved goodbye to Samurai.

            "Fare thee well! I hope we meet again in the future! I'll not lose so easily next time!" Samurai called.

            "I'll train harder too! Good-bye!" Ash said.

            Samurai waved back and walked back into Viridian forest.

            "I still can't believe he actually lives there." Pika-chan remarked.

            "Well, what can I say?" Ash asked. "If he likes it, I won't complain."

            "Look! A candy store!" Pika-chan said in excitement. Her eyes got all big and shimmery as big, pink-and-yellow shiawase bubbles filled the screen. "Pretty please?"

            Ash laughed and handed her a five-dollar bill. "Go ahead. But don't eat it all at once."

            "I won't!" Pika-chan reassured him. She jumped off his shoulder and zapped off her wings. Then, she ran off towards the candy store.

            "Right! I need more canned food, and I'm already out of Ramen!" Ash said. "I'm almost out of poke chow too! I'd better buy more!"

            With that thought in mind, he ran off towards the grocery store. "At least I don't have to buy potions, anymore." He mused. "Now that I can create my own using magic, it really saves money."

            Pika-chan stared in awe at the glass cases filled to the brim with multicolored candies. It was like a dream come true! After much thought, when she noticed that the lady who ran the store was getting impatient, she finally decided on a pound of jellybeans, four chocolate bars, and half a pound of orange slices.

            "That'll be four dollars and ninety-three cents." The lady told the cute little pokemon. She wondered where its master was. Probably off at the gym or the pokemon center…

            Pika-chan handed the lady her five-dollar bill and walked out carry her sack of candy. She sat on the curb and happily munched on the jellybeans as she waited for Ash to come back and find her.

            Ash loaded his grocery cart up with some canned vegetables and stew, instant noodles, and some fresh fruits that wouldn't spoil easily. To his surprise, the store was completely sold out of cookies.

            "Sorry." One of the workers told him. "We haven't had time to restock after that earthquake hit."

            "An earthquake?" Ash asked. "When did that happen?"

            "A few weeks ago. It came from the direction of mount moon. Our gym leader left to go investigate it, so if you want to get a badge, you'll have to wait a few days, until he comes back."

            "Okay!" Ash said.

            After he finished his shopping, he headed off to find Pika-chan. He found her sitting on the curb, enjoying her candy.

            "Having fun?" Ash asked.

            "Yep!" Pika-chan said, licking her paws. "This is so good! Ash, you have to buy some!"

            Ash shrugged. "It's nice to have some treats during the journey. That's a good idea. Can you believe that the grocery store didn't have any cookies because of an earthquake?"

            "That's terrible!" Pika-chan said. 

            "I know. So I'll get some candy instead." Ash walked into the candy store, where he bought several pounds of candy, much to the lady's amusement.

            "Just don't eat it all at once." She told him.

            "You sound like my mom." Ash said. Then he remembered about the cell phone Giovanni had given him. "I guess I'd better call my mom and tell her I'm all right."

            When Ash got outside the store, he dialed his cell phone. The pink color still shocked him, but…

            Delilah jumped as her videophone rang. "I think I know who this is from. Hi, Ash!"

            "Hi, mom! I'm in Pewter city right now." Ash told her.

            "Oh! You made it through Viridian Forest already?"

            "Yep! And I caught a Butterfree and a Pidgey, too!" Ash said.

            "I'm so proud of you Ash! Oh, did you remember to wash your underwear yet?" Ash sweatdropped.

            "Yes, mom. I didn't forget. Bye!"

            "Good bye, dear." Ash's mom said as she hung up.

            "Sometimes I wonder why is she so obsessed with underwear?" Pika-chan questioned. "It's not like anyone is going to see it…"

            Ash shrugged. "Well, Mew knows, but I don't, so I guess we'll leave it the way it is."

            "So, do you want to explore that cave first? Or are you going to wait for the gym leader to come back?" Pika-chan inquired, quite cheekily.

            Ash grinned. "Well, I want to get that badge as soon as possible! Besides, his rock-type pokemon have no chance against Storm!"

            "I guess so…" Pika-chan said. Then, she brightened up. "So, are you all packed and ready?"

            "Yeah, I didn't even need to visit the pokemon center. Odd." Ash mused.

            "It's not strange at all. Your powers are increasing, even if you haven't been practicing lately." Pika-chan told him.

            "Oh." Ash would have said more, but then he spotted Todd walking towards him.

            "Hi!" Todd said. "Are you going to investigate the earthquakes?"

            "Yep." Ash said. He steeled himself. He _needed_ those cards, so if he had to make a deal, he would.

            "Can I come?"

            "Only if you promise not to capture any of the pokémon cards." Ash said.

            "Why would I want to?" Todd asked, confused. "I just want to videotape your adventures in style!"

            "Fine." Ash said. Inside, he was screaming, but he told that side of his mind to shut up. It could be worse, with two rivals.

            "Cool! Just let me get my stuff!" Within seconds, Todd was back with his backpack and poke belt.

            "Well, lets get this show on the road!" Pika-chan said.

            "Right!" Ash let Todd ride behind him on Ponyta, so Todd discreetly took Ash's measurements. He was disappointed to know that he had estimated Ash's arm length too short, which was why the last costume had been so difficult for Ash to get out of. At least this time he could let out the hems on his newest costume.

            After some _very_ fast riding, they reached the entrance to Mount Moon. Todd looked sick from the jouncing up and down, so Ash kindly handed him some aspirin. Todd popped two in his mouth, before setting up his video camera.

            "Do you feel anything?" Pika-chan asked.

            Ash narrowed his eyes. "Hmm… not yet. Maybe the mystical moon energy from the cave is blocking them out."

            "Mystical moon energy?" Todd asked. "Oh! You mean the mystery about the Moon Stone!"

            "Yes. I think it is magical in nature, because I can feel very strong magic coming from that cave."

            "Ahem!" Pika-chan said. "We have no time to waste dawdling."

            "Just a second!" Todd said. His eyes lit up. He dove into his pack and came up a few minutes later with a pile of clothing.

            "Now, then, there's a handy bush over there. So why don't you go change now?" Todd suggested pleasantly.

            "Fine." Ash said. * How did Todd get this? * When he emerged, Pika-chan looked surprised. Ash actually didn't look that bad! In fact, he looked sort of cute.

            He was dressed in a loose-fitting shirt of white silk, over black, tight fitting pants of the same material. Around his waist was a pale purple sash, with little gold mews embroidered on it. For some reason, Todd had foregone the boots that had gone with his earlier costumes and given Ash purple-and-white sneakers instead. Around his forehead was a white headband with a purple gem in the middle, while he also had white wristbands around his wrists. But he had removed his dark blue gloves from Giovanni.

            "There's stuff for you too, Pika-chan!" Todd said cheerfully. Pika-chan looked surprised, but then she looked pleased. Her accessory was a small white headband, like Ash's, and a little white bow that went around her neck.

            "Hey, its okay. Thanks." Pika-chan said. Unlike Ash, she was not camera-shy. In fact, she even posed for Todd!

            * You learn something new every day. * Ash thought in amusement.

            "Well, let's go!" Todd said. And so, they headed into the cave.

            As soon as they walked in, several very vicious Zubats attacked them. Todd almost dropped his camera, but they weren't very interested in attacking him, thinking that he was not a threat (which he wasn't!)

            "So it must be a pokemon card." He said. He wedged himself in a crevice and began to videotape, thankful that somebody had thoughtfully installed electric lights in the caverns.

            "Key that hides the power of the elements, reveal your true form before me! Your master under the seal of contract Ashura commands you, Release!" The golden magic circle formed as Ash grabbed his wand, before calling out a card.

            "Jolteon, use your Thunder!" Jolteon obeyed, and charged up his electricity, before demolishing most of the Zubats. The leader, which was overly large, flew over and started battling Jolteon.

            "That's the Zubat card." Pika-chan remarked. * That was pretty obvious. *

            "Great. Jolteon, bite it so it can't escape!" Ash called. Jolteon nodded and clamped his jaws down on the poor Zubat. Trapped, it couldn't move.

            "Return to your true from, pokemon card!" The Zubat and Jolteon both disappeared, the Zubat turning into blue energy which resumed card form as soon as Ash touched it.

            Ash grinned and did a 'V' for victory. Todd caught the last moment and closed the video camera.

            "Excellent job, Ash!" Pika-chan said.

            "Thanks!" And so, they headed deeper into the cave. One last comment was heard.

            "Say, Todd, is this outfit suitable for spelunking?"

            "I don't know…."

            "Todd!"

End Episode 13! Please leave a review and tell me what you think! Flames will be used to summon Seiryu seikun.


	14. Team Rocket shows up! Trouble in Mount m...

Hi! Here's Episode 14!

Disclaimer: I do not own pokemon, sadly. It belongs to Nintendo, Game Freak, 4Kids, and a host of other now-rich corporations.

Note: takes place right after Episode 13. Oh yeah, I am not using the Jessie-James team. They have enough fans already. Besides, they're in some of my other fanfics.

Another note: Remember, ** indicates thoughts, Italics indicate translated poke speech!

Episode 14: Team Rocket shows up! Trouble in Mount Moon!

            Ash, Todd, and Pika-chan were now wandering through Mount moon. After Ash had driven away the Zubats, they hadn't encountered any other pokemon or pokemon cards. Pika-chan was starting to get edgy.

            "You know Ash, I have a bad feeling about this." She said.

            "What is it, Pika-chan?" Ash asked. Pika-chan was perched on his shoulder, still dressed in the little white bow and headband, although they were starting to turn gray around the edges due to flying dust. There was an amazing amount of dust in this cave. They were literally eating and breathing dust. None of the three explorers were very happy about it.

            Ash was surprised that his costume was actually okay for exploring caves. The only problem was that the flowing sleeves of his costume were getting caught on outcropping rocks. Ash finally got impatient and snipped off the last four inches of his trailing shirtsleeves, so they only fell a little bit past his elbows now. Todd had been shocked and disappointed, but he had to admit that the card captor getting stuck on a rock was not a good way to explore. Especially since that would put a wrench in their plan to reach Cerulean by sunset.

            "There shouldn't be any lights in here. Somebody installed them for a reason. I'm afraid it might mean trouble." Pika-chan said. They were too bright, and she was used to caves being quiet places where you could rest.

            Just then, there was a super-bright flash of light. Ash covered his eyes. When he opened them, he saw two figures there.

            "Prepare for trouble!" The first one said. The voice was obviously female. She had short blue hair cut like a boy's, though.

            "And make it double!" The second shouted. He had dark blue hair that was tied back in a short ponytail.

            "To protect the world from devastation!" Somehow, a superimposed picture of the earth appeared behind them.

            "To unite all peoples within our nation!"

            "To denounce the evils of truth and love!" Now there was a picture of a huge arrow shooting through the two words, truth and love.

            "To extend our reach to the stars above!" Now, the cave ceiling was replaced with a shot of the earth from outer space. Ash wondered how they were doing this? Had he missed an overhead projector or something like that?

            "Amy!" The blue haired girl proclaimed. She crossed her arms and gave a very nasty smile.

            "Jake!" Said the pony tailed blue boy. He held up a poke ball that seemed to have fallen from the sky and looked ready to throw it.

            "Team Rocket blasts off at the speed of light!" This ended with Amy doing a flip in midair.

            "Surrender now or prepare to fight!" Jake said, sounding deadly serious. Now he was holding the poke ball out and it was starting to open. Ash could barely make out a whitish shape inside.

            "Ninetails!" A deadly looking, white fox pokemon jumped out from between the two and posed.

            Ash blinked. * What is going on here? *

            "Hand over your pokemon now, trainer kid!" Jake said. "Otherwise… you'll learn how merciless Team Rocket can be!"

            Todd quickly scuttled out of the way. However, he did pull out his video camera and begin taping. The two trainers dismissed him as any threat and turned to Ash. It was certainly a correct assumption, but Ash _could_ become threatening if he wanted to… however, in that outfit, it did not seem like a convincing argument.

            "You heard us, kid, now hand over your pokémon!" Amy repeated. "Or maybe I'll just force 'em out of you. Slowpoke, go!" The pink tubby pokemon materialized in a flash of red and just… sat there.

            "Right! Diglett, I chose you!" Jake called. He grinned wolfishly. "Surrender, now, kid!" The small mole pokemon started chirping its species name in a very cute voice. It did not look threatening in any way. And they were asking him to surrender? Were they crazier than Todd?

            Ash sweatdropped. These rocket trainers were only 2-3 years older than he was! Who were they calling a kid?

            "Thanks, but no thanks. Storm, I choose you!" Ash said. He enjoyed the shocked look on the faces of the two rockets when they caught a glimpse of the magnificent dragon pokemon, but they quickly squashed it.

            "I don't care who you are, we're stealing your pokemon! Slowpoke, Confusion!" Slowpoke yawned, before slowly standing up to begin its attack.

            "Diglett, Scratch that dragonair! We'll show them that size doesn't matter!" Jake called to his own pokemon.

            "Storm, Thunderbolt the Slowpoke, and use Bubblebeam on the Diglett!" Ash called. Todd recorded vigorously from his little niche.

            "This is gonna be great! I'll call it 'Card Captor Ashura vs. Team Rocket!'"

            Pika-chan sweatdropped as she got out of the way. She watched as Storm quickly knocked out Slowpoke, but Diglett dove underground before Storm could nail it with bubblebeam. Sadly, none of them had noticed the Ninetails, which had snuck up behind Ash and run off with one of his poke balls.

            "Hey! Give that back! You thief!" Ash said. "Storm, nail it with Dragon Rage!" The two rockets gulped as the small cave around them suddenly started spinning. 

            "Uh-oh." Amy said.

            "What do we do?" Jake asked nervously. Sadly, they were in no position to do anything, before the storm hit.

            "Looks like Team Rocket's blasting off now!" They called as they flew through the roof of the cave, creating a large hole.

            Dragonair scowled. _They still didn't drop the poke ball! I can't believe it!_ She was irritated because her dramatic effort had been wasted.  
  


            _Don't worry; it was an  empty one._ Ash said, as he checked his belt. _Thank heaven for small mercies!_

            _What?! _

            _I only have 4 filled poke balls. You, Ponyta, Butterfree, and Pidgey! They grabbed one of the empty ones. I kept them on my belt just in case, and I cannot believe  that it actually worked!_

            _Oh!_ Dragonair said. _But I still want a treat later, even if I didn't save anyone from being stolen._

            _I'll give you one now. How about some salmon-flavored poke treats?_

            _Yay!_ Dragonair munched the treat, before returning to her poke ball to take a nap. Ash turned around to see how Todd was doing, and found him staring into the lens of a video camera.

            "Todd!" He said.

            "What? It was a good shot of you." Todd shut down his video camera and placed it back in his pack. "Shall we keep walking?" He asked, as if nothing had happened.

            Ash sweatdropped. * _Nothing _fazes this guy. *

            They continued to walk. After a while, they reached a large, open section of cave. It was very… empty. However, there was a faint sense of magic surrounding the area eerily.

            "Do you sense anything?" Pika-chan asked nervously. The situation didn't seem right.

            Ash shook his head. "No…"

            "Maybe the moon stone is blocking your magic. Wait! Maybe that was where the Moon stone was, before the Clefairies moved it somewhere else!"

            "Maybe…" Ash said, not that convinced. Then, he got an idea. "Say, Todd, do you mind videotaping the path as we walk, just in case we get lost and have to go back or something?"

            "No problem!" Todd said, surprised that Ash was actually asking him to videotape. After half an hour, they reached an open clearing in the mountains. Ash blinked.

            "I didn't know that there was such a gaping hole in the tunnel to Cerulean."

            "Neither did I!" Todd said. He looked around, amazed. "But as nice as the landforms are, there aren't any pokemon _anywhere_. That's so disappointing!"  
  


            "Really?" Ash and Pika-chan both felt around for auras, but the place was completely aura-less.

            "Could Team Rocket have been kidnapping pokemon or something like that?" Pika-chan finally asked.

            "No… but I bet I know where Brock is now!" Ash said, as he felt another person's chi, weakly pulsing.

            Ash suddenly took off running. Pika-chan and Todd struggled to keep up. He was fast when he wanted to be! When they stopped, they saw that Ash was standing next to a boy who wasn't that much older than they were. His left leg was trapped under a rock, and he was obviously in pain.

            "Are you okay?" Ash asked, as he enlisted Ponyta and Storm to free Brock.

            "I think so. How did you know I was here?" Brock asked.

            "I didn't know! But the earth told me." Ash did not bother to clarify his statement with an explanation of his powers.

            Brock brushed that explanation off. He sat up slowly, but when he tried to stand, he fell over. He cried out in pain as his leg banged against the rocky floor.

            "You must have broken your leg." Todd said. He looked in his backpack to see if there was anything that could help, but was shocked to find that he had no medical supplies. * Darn! I should have refilled them in Pewter! Where did they go? *

            "Butterfree, go!" Ash said, releasing the bug pokemon. Brock looked surprised. 

            "What are you doing?"

            "Butterfree, String Shot!" Butterfree nodded and shot a long strand of sticky thread at Brock's leg, until finally they had constructed a somewhat makeshift cast. Brock felt better, and he looked at Ash gratefully.

            "Thank you so much." Brock said. "But I have to go home to my family now."

            "But I need a badge." Ash said. Todd sweatdropped as he looked up from his recording of Card Captor Ashura and the medical marvel.

            "Okay. I guess I can spare a few minutes." Brock said. He wasn't in _that _bad shape! He reached for a poke ball. "Geodude, go!"

            Ash was about to send out Storm when he realized that she was still tired. So he went for the next best choice. "Ponyta, go!"

            "Geodude, Tackle!"

            "Ponyta, Smash Kick!" Ponyta nodded and knocked the Geodude into handy boulder, stunning it. Geodude fell down with swirls for eyes, spinning crazily like a top would.

            "Great job. Geodude, Return! Onix, bind that Ponyta!"

            Ponyta ran before Ash could give her a command. However, Onix finally caught up with Ponyta and bound it, so Ash had to recall her.

            "Pidgey, go! Use Sand-attack!" 

            "What?" Todd glanced up from his videotaping again.

            Pidgey nodded and repeated Sand-Attacked Onix, until it didn't know where Pidgey was.

            "Onix, Screech!" The sound waves cut through the wave of blinding sand and cornered Pidgey.

            "Pidgey, Return! Butterfree, Confusion!"

            Butterfree's Confusion waves plowed into Onix, knocking it out. Then, Butterfree perched on Ash's head and winked at the camera. Todd chuckled.

            "Well, I guess some pokemon like the attention."

            "Wow! You win." Brock said. "Here. This is the Boulder badge." He produced the badge for Ash, who put it in his backpack.

            "Good battle!" Ash said. They shook hands. Todd cut off his videotaping and pocketed his camera.

            "Well, see you!" Ash said. He waved good-bye to Brock. Then, the two of them continued their trek through the mountains. Pika-chan hoped that they would hit Cerulean city soon, because she was getting sick of eating Macaroni and cheese. Why had Ash bought so much of the yellow stuff in Viridian? It had lasted an amazingly long time, but… If she saw one more bowl of macaroni and cheese, she was going to hurl!

            Gary's still in his hotel, isn't he? Nope. He finally quit lounging around and went out to look for pokemon cards. His parents forgave him and bought back his sold pokemon, much to his relief. Or maybe it was Professor Oak's threats to bring them to justice if they did that…

            "Wigglytuff, use your Sing!" Wigglytuff puffed itself up and started a soothing lullaby. The attacking Flareon froze in its tracks, and slowly fell asleep.

            "Hah!" Gary said, as he slapped an ofuda on it. The Flareon also went to card form readily.

            "Oh yeah, I rule!" Gary said proudly.

            His cheerleaders cheered.

            "Gary, Gary, we love Gary!"

            Gary grinned. "Now let's go get lunch!" They all piled into his sports car and drove towards Saffron city.

End Episode 14! Comments and constructive criticism accepted with hugs. Flames will be used to create illusory clamshells. 


	15. Fire, fire, burning bright

Episode 15! Woohoo! Can you believe I only wanted to write 4-5 new parts as filler episodes, and I end up writing this many?

_Yeah, now finish my story!_

I will, Ash! It just depends on how many reviews I get! More reviews = faster speed.

You heard her! Review please! *begs*

**Pika! **

Pika-chan, what are you doing here?

I want to convince the fans too! If you want to read more about me, or you want more shots of Ash in silly costumes, please send comments to the authoress!

I think that's enough motivation for some of you fans, so please send her your comments!

Okay, okay! I have to start the show now!

* * *

Tmp – no, I am not a fan of AAMRN. Yes, Todd is annoying, but he will disappear later. I'm not telling you how, that would give away the plot.

Ranma, and Dawn the Espeon, Thanx for your support!

Disclaimer: No matter how much Shadow would like to own pokemon, it is not hers. Please do not sue her. Pokemon belongs to a bunch of huge corporations, like Nintendo, Game Freak, and 4Kids. Not to mention Shogakukan comics. I only own this idea, this piece of fanfiction, and of course, Destiny.

Second Disclaimer: Alas, Shadow does not own Card Captor Sakura either. It belongs to Clamp, Kodansha, Mixx… Not me!

* * *

Episode 15: Fire, fire, burning bright

The next day, the trio reached Cerulean city. They were all very happy. Ash headed off to the pokémon center to get a room for the night, before going off to find a Laundromat where he could get his clothes, as well as the costumes from Todd, washed. The outfit he had worn when he had captured the Zubat card was no longer spotless; as the black, white, and purple hues were now covered by a layer of dust and dirt….

"Look! A Laundromat! I've been saved!" Ash quickly dashed off towards the store. When he got there, he put two quarters in two washing machines and happily washed all the clothes he had worn on the journey. It was so nice having clean clothes. A bath would be good too, if the Pokemon center had public showers, which it did.

"I'm going to the toy store." Pika-chan said.

"Why?" Ash asked. Pika-chan grinned.

"I want a stuffed animal! Can I have some money?"

"Sure." Ash gave Pika-chan a few dollars and she happily skipped off to get a toy. Todd blinked.

"Why would she want a stuffed animal?"

"I dunno. Maybe she wants something to cuddle at night…"

* * *

Pika-chan stared at all the beautiful plush toys surrounding here. There were little pokemon dolls, everything from Abras to Zubats, as well as fluffy teddy bears, porcelain figurines (but she didn't want those), stuffed tigers, lions, and bears (Oh my!), exotic animals like giraffes, and rag dolls.

"Wow…."

She flew around, testing all of them. She wanted something soft but firm. First, she tried a stuffed penguin. It was small and could fit in her arms when she acquired the power to change back into her real form, as soon as Ash captured the last electric pokemon, Zapdos. However, when she tried to squeeze it, it wouldn't budge

"Too hard." She said.

Then, she tried a rag doll. It had curly red hair made out of yarn, black button eyes, and a blue calico dress. She thought it looked cute. However, when she hugged it, one of the button-eyes popped off and the doll seemed to deflate.

"Too soft. I don't want anything squishy."

Finally, after much squeezing and touching, she located a cute stuffed animal. It was an angelfish doll, striped with the seven colors of the rainbow. The head was orange, and two glass green eyes winked at her playfully. It was light enough for her to hold, and soft enough to use as a pillow, but if she sat on it, she wouldn't sink. It was the perfect toy.

* * *

"I wonder how much it is?" Pika-chan slowly waddled over to the counter, carrying the Angelfish, which was bigger than she was.

Needless to say, the poor teenager manning that checkout line was freaked out when he spotted a doll floating towards him.

"AAAHHHH!" His shouts brought several other teens running. One spotted the tail that stuck out from behind the fish and laughed.

"Dude, its just a pokémon carrying a doll! I can't believe you're such a big baby!"

Teen number one picked it up and noticed Pika-chan clinging to the back with her paws. He looked sheepish.

"Oops." Then, he turned to Pika-chan. "Do you want to buy this?"

Pika-chan nodded and held out her money.

"Well, the fish is eight dollars. Here's your change. Do you want a bag?" Pika-chan shook her head, no, and then waddled out onto the street in search of Ash.

After a while, she spotted him lounging on a bench, eating some pretzels from a street vendor. She flew over to him.

* * *

"Hi, pika-chan. did you get what you wanted?" Ash asked, as she sat down next to him.

"Yes. Can I have a pretzel?" Pika-chan asked as she put down the plushie, not wanting to get any food on it.

"Do you want cinnamon sugar flavored or regular with salt?"

"I'll take the cinnamon sugar pretzel, of course!" Pika-chan said. She happily munched. "Wow, it's almost as big as I am!"

"So is the doll you bought." Ash remarked as he looked at the angelfish. "Hey, its sort of cute."

"Thanks!" Pika-chan finished eating and licked her paws. "Mmm."

* * *

Todd came running. "Hey, Ash! I got our rooms at the center! Nurse Joy says your pokémon are ready, too!"

"Coming!" Pika-chan hopped onto Ash's shoulder, as he put her doll in his voluminous backpack, before running towards the center. Soon, they were there.

"Thanks, Nurse Joy." Ash said, as he reclaimed his four poke balls.

"No problem. Although I would have thought that you would have more pokemon." Joy said. "Most people have at least ten by the time they get here."

Ash looked sheepish. "Well, it's a long story."

"Well, I won't bother you then." Nurse Joy said. Just then, Officer Jenny drove in.

"Joylene, I don't want to bother you right now, but there was a accident at the Cerulean gym! Apparently one of the workmen whom they hired to work on the new pool accidentally cut through one of the electric wires underneath the gym! Now the Gym's on fire, so I was wondering if you could come and-."

"I'm coming!" Nurse Joy called. "Chanseys, if you aren't busy, follow me!" Several Chanseys raced out and ran after her.

Ash and Todd stared.

"The gym is on fire?" Ash finally stuttered out after a few moments of shocked silence.

"I-I think so… Ash, we gotta help them!" Todd said.

"But I don't have any water pokemon!" Ash pointed out.

"You have your Dragonair, don't you?"

"Oh! I forgot! Okay, just a minute. I just remembered something that might help."

* * *

Ash ducked into the bathroom. Soon, he reemerged carrying his wand and several cards. Todd slapped his forehead.

"I should have known you would have water pokemon cards!"

"Come on, hurry!" Pika-chan said. Ash released Ponyta and they quickly raced towards the blazing gym.

Soon, they arrived.

"Starmie, Squirtle, Lapras, Vaporeon, Dragonair, Dratini, go!" Ash called, sending out the cards, as Todd taped from a safe vantage point. Then, he sent Storm out as well and ordered Storm and Dragonair to call up a rainstorm.

They did, and the natural rain quickly put out the fires consuming the gym. As soon as the fire was gone, Ash quickly called back his cards and shrunk his wand back to key form, before tucking it under his shirt.

"Let's get out of here before we're questioned."

* * *

Todd nodded, and quickly followed him back to the Pokemon Center. When they were back, Ash headed off to take his shower, while Pika-chan decided to take a nice nap. She climbed onto the bed with her new Angelfish plushie and within moments, was snoring and dreaming sweet dreams of apples, pancakes with maple syrup, and lots of candy.

Todd busied himself making Ash's next costume. At the rate the pokemon cards were showing up at, Ash needed a costume about every two days. It was a good thing that Todd's parents were very well off, and they didn't mind his sewing projects. In fact, they encouraged him to practice _all_ his skills.

When Ash returned from his shower, dressed in a fresh pair of jeans and a white t-shirt emblazoned with Moltres, Todd was already done.

"Can you try it on?" He asked, holding it out. Ash sighed, but headed to the bathroom to change. On his way out, he remarked that Todd could have just given him the clothes before the shower.

"But they weren't done yet!" Todd called after him. He took out his instant camera and waited for Ash to return.

"I wonder when the next pokemon card will show up?" Ash mused. He pulled the final attachment over his head and went outside to show Todd.

"Kawaii!" Todd squealed. Ash blinked. What the heck did kawaii mean, anyways?

"This is so cool! Let me get a picture! I never knew it would look this good!" Todd said as he snapped pics left and right.

* * *

Ash twitched. He was dressed in a cream-colored, two-piece body suit. The wrists and cuffs were trimmed with two inches of white fur, while a bushy tail trailed from his butt, also cream-colored, tipped with red. Over his chest he wore a white vest made out of more fluffy white fur. Around his waist was a belt made out of even more white fur, cut in a jagged pattern. On his hands he wore white gloves, like a conductor would wear, while from his spiky black hair stuck two fox-like ears. He wore white leather boots and a little cape made out of more white fur with a jagged hem (Ash counted eight triangles) to top the outfit off.

"Is it too hot?" Todd inquired politely.

"Actually, its okay." Ash said. "Besides, if I'm going to go catch the card tonight, it's going to be cold."

"Okay! Did you sense one already?"

"At the Cerulean city gym. But I couldn't capture it then, because it was hiding. I'll have to wait for it to come out."

Todd grinned. Soon, the two of them went to get dinner. Then, they played chess and gin rummy until Nurse Joy called the curfew. Ash went up to his room and got dressed in the costume again (you don't think he ate dinner in it, did you?), while Todd put a blank tape in his video camera. Pika-chan was still sleeping, so they let her alone.

"Do you know which card it is?" Todd finally asked.

"I think its Ninetales. It feels like Vulpix did, and I already caught Vulpix." Ash told him.

"Oh." They stealthily crept towards the gym. When they finally got there, Ash pried open a window and the two dropped in. It was a sad sight. Most of the building had been burnt down already.

* * *

"Ponyta, use Flash." Ash whispered, releasing his fiery steed. Ponyta's eyes flashed and a small glow surrounded them. They crept deeper into the gloom, before Todd finally heard growling.

"A-Ash." Todd said nervously.

Ash spun around. "I heard it too…its stalking us. Don't worry. Vaporeon, use Bubblebeam to slow it down."

Vaporeon smirked before hitting Ninetales right-on with the stream of bubbles.

"Now!" Todd said, sort of stupid, but he wanted a part in this video.

"Return to your true form, pokémon card!" Ash said triumphantly. The Ninetales card barely had time to flee, before blue bands of energy captured it and it was forced to return to card form.

Ash posed for the camera; card in hand, while Todd finished. Then, the two of them crept away from the gym before they were discovered.

* * *

Meanwhile, lets see what Gary has been doing…

"Please, I need more ofudas."

The priest sighed. "Surely there cannot be _that_ much evil around you?"

"But I need them!"

The priest handed him five. "Next time, you will have to pay for them."

"Thank you!" Gary bowed, before dashing out. He couldn't believe that he was already out! Someone must have stolen them! However, Gary had no clue whom had done it…

Gary was so preoccupied that he tripped over a pokemon card. When he looked down, he was greeted by a stare from an angry Geodude.

* * *

"Ow!" Gary said, as the bulky rock pokemon tackled him. He sat up, rubbing his sore butt angrily. "That does it! Gyrados, I choose you!" The water dragon materialized and roared loudly, announcing its presence to the world. The Geodude did not look impressed, however.

Gary shrugged. * Soon, it will know why I am the greatest pokemon master ever! * He gave Gyrados the order to use Hydro Pump and waited. The pressurized water blasted the poor Geodude into a tree, where it was lodged.

"See? This is easy!" Gary told Gyrados as he slapped an ofuda on the Geodude. Just then, the priest came running.

"Young man, you did not tell me that you were under a mission from a higher power to capture the pokemon cards to prevent the evil that will befall this world!" The priest said.

Gary blinked. * What? *

"I could have given you this!" With a flourish, the priest removed a polished bronze mirror with the symbol for normal-type pokemon etched on the back. The mirror had two handles, with red tassels hanging down from a knot on each one.

Gary was still speechless. He wondered if the priest was possibly crazy, but decided to be silent and respectful. (Hehehe)

"This mirror will help you detect and capture pokemon cards! If you shine it onto the pokemon card, it will revert back to card form!" The priest explained. "You may also use it to activate any pokemon cards you may possess so they can fight for you."

"Th-thank you." Gary finally managed. How did this old man know all this stuff?

"Say, can you tell me more about the pokémon cards?" He asked slyly.

"Of course! You see, about thirty generations back, one of my ancestors was related to the man who created them – Clow Reed."

* * *

End Episode 15!

Please drop a review at the review button right down there. Flames will be used to weld a Tessen, so I can throw them back.

Completed 8/19/02


	16. Patience is a virtue that I don't have!

Hello! Here is Episode 16! Are you guys satisfied yet, or should I write more? Hmm…

Date: 9/2/02

Disclaimer: The authoress is sorry to inform you that she does not own pokemon and will not sell it to any hopefuls in the crowd. And Nintendo intends to keep it, so… why won't they share?

Second Disclaimer: Oh yeah, I don't own CCS either. Just in you didn't know, it belongs to Clamp!

Note: Time lapse after last episode. Ash hasn't got Cascade badge yet, so he's still in Cerulean.

Note 2: ** Will indicate thoughts, () are authoress's notes or telepathy, while Italics indicate translated poke speech.

* * *

Tmp – technically, nobody is supposed to know about the pokemon cards. However, this priest is a family member and the knowledge has been passed down through the generations. Ash has about 90 more pokemon cards than Gary, so why are you complaining? Pika-chan usually zaps her wings out of existence when she isn't using them, that's why nobody notices, plus normal people can't really see them. Destiny won't appear until the final judgment, and that's like 15 episodes away…

Kleptomaniac can opener – Todd will stay until the Johto card arc. It all depends.

Ranma – the 'Ashura cards' arc can't be up yet, until Ash captures all of the pokemon cards first!

Usul-lover888 – Because I like Clow Reed, and he belongs to Clamp, which made CCS originally, which this parody is based on.

Noni – good idea, but normal people can't see the pokemon cards in their un-activated form, a.k.a. card form. So, unless the pickpocket had magic, it wouldn't happen, and I really don't want to add any more people with magic.

Angel_faire – I drew Ash too! He looks really kawaii! Don't worry, I'll keep writing more!

Hallow shadows – more outfits are coming up! Thank you for encouraging more people to review, I appreciate it!

* * *

Episode 16: Patience is a virtue that I don't have!

A week had passed since Cerulean gym had burned out. The 'Sensational sisters' weren't giving out any badges yet, though. Ash was starting to get impatient. He knew that to get into the pokémon league he would need the Cascade badge, but did it matter which order he got his badges in? Maybe he should head to Vermillion and get the Thunder badge first…

"I can feel your irritation." Pika-chan remarked. "You're really angry, aren't you?"

"Of course!" Ash snapped. "I'm wasting my time, sitting here, waiting for a trio of prissy girls to quit their hysterics so I can get a badge! Why wouldn't I be irritated?"

Todd looked up from his pile of satin and wisely did not say a word.

"Besides, don't I have a time limit?" Ash asked, worried. "I had three months when I started my journey…"

Pika-chan looked sheepish. "I forgot to mention something. Usually, with no problems, card catching takes a year. But it can be extended indefinitely if it conflicts with… well, your life. So I've been informed that you can subtract the time you spend in Cerulean."

"That's a relief." Ash said.

"Well, at least I have time to prepare your costumes." Todd said. Ash sighed. Some things never change!

"Well, you could go and train against some of the junior trainers on the streets. Maybe you can catch some more pokemon, too." Pika-chan suggested. "After all, don't you have a pokédex to complete?"

Ash grinned. "You're right! I'll do it right away!"

He grabbed Pika-chan and swung her around in the air. "And you get a treat, too."

"Yay!" Pika-chan said. Ash handed her a small pouch of chocolate-covered raisins. Pika-chan crunched softly as they walked through the relatively empty streets.

* * *

"I wonder where everyone is?"

"Over there." Pika-chan pointed to a store, which had a huge crowd of people in front of it.

Officer Jenny was addressing the crowd. "As you all know, last night, thieves broke into this store and stole about five thousand dollars in cash, plus a very important poke ball, containing a Seadra which belonged to the Sensational sisters. If anyone has information on the robbers, it would be greatly appreciated."

Ash shrugged and walked away, scouting for trainers.

* * *

Soon, he was next to the city limits. He stepped outside and started hunting around in the tall grass that grew in small patches outside. Supposedly, there were Sandshrews and Mankeys in this area, but he didn't see any.

Pika-chan sniffed the air, trying to smell out a pokemon. It didn't work.

"Do you see anything?" She asked.

"No. Wait, I might have an idea. Pidgey, go! Use your Whirlwind attack to chase out some pokemon!"

"Pidgey!" The tiny bird cried, flapping her little wings hard. Soon, out flew an Oddish and a Rattata.

"That was great Pidgey!" Ash said. He petted her on the head and turned to the pokemon. They looked unconscious, so he threw a poke ball at the Oddish. It was sucked in quite easily. However, the Rattata woke up as soon as the Oddish was captured and bolted for dear life.

"Darn." Ash said. "Oh well, at least I got an Oddish!" He took it to the pokemon center to get healed, before returning outside to scout for more pokemon.

* * *

Much to his surprise, he discovered that it started to rain as soon as he exited the city. Within minutes, both he and Pika-chan were soaked. They decided to seek shelter underneath a tree. Afterwards, Ash headed for the pokemon center.

He got there fast because he had Ponyta. When the other trainers who had been caught in the rain arrived, Ash was already dry and dressed in clean blue jeans and a black t-shirt. Pika-chan was eating some cooked carrots. Todd had put away his materials and was now perusing a magazine with interest.

Just then, the door to the center opened… as Ash was ranting about how he couldn't get a badge to Pika-chan. Pika-chan was nodding her head in understanding and occasionally making hushing motions.

The girl who stepped in had short, frizzy, carrot-colored hair in a tiny ponytail. She was dressed in jean short-shorts, a yellow t-shirt, and red suspenders. She was soaking wet. And she looked ready to kill Ash as she stomped over to the counter and deposited her pokemon there for Joy to heal.

* * *

"_What_ did you say about the Sensational sisters?" She practically hissed in his face.

Ash blinked. "Was that a trick question?" What was this girl talking about? Okay, maybe he had been talking a bit loudly, but that was nothing to get upset over, unless she was one of their devotees.

In return, a mallet sailed over his head and impacted on his skull. Todd winced and got up. He went over to Ash and started talking in a whisper.

"That's Misty, she's one of the Cerulean gym leaders... actually, she's the youngest Waterflower. She's been away from the gym for months, so I didn't know she was here in Cerulean. She's renowned for her fiery temper, and I think you just pissed her off."

Ash shrugged. "Well, I don't care. I just want to get a badge and leave this city!"

Todd threw him a look, as if to say 'Your funeral, but I'll still tape it'.

* * *

Misty had heard that, so she turned to him. "Fine. If you want a badge, I'll fight you as soon as my pokemon are healed. But if you lose, you're apologizing for badmouthing my family!"

Ash shrugged. "Fine." He hadn't expected a reaction like that, since girls were so…odd, but he decided that a battle would help him feel better. It might work off some of the stress, and if he won, the Cascade badge would be his!

As soon as Misty's pokemon were healed, the two trainers headed outside to battle. It had stopped raining, although the sky still remained gray and cloudy. Todd went along to videotape and referee.

"This will be a 3x3 battle. This battle will now begin!" Todd called through a megaphone. Who knows how he got it? Anime characters seem to be equipped with these things quite often.

"Go, Ash!" Pika-chan shouted from the sidelines. She was decked out in a white sweater and a dark blue pleated skirt, with a big letter 'A' on the sweater. In each paw was a poofy white and blue pom-pom. There were also blue-and-white ribbons trailing down from her ears.

Ash thought. * Cerulean uses water, so… * "Pidgey, I choose you!" The tiny bird pokemon flew out and began circling around the two trainers, waiting for its opponent to show up. Misty didn't even hesitate as she threw out her own pokémon.

* * *

"Misty chooses Staryu. Tackle that bird!" Staryu flew at Pidgey, trying to knock it out of the air, but Pidgey kept dodging its attacks. After a few moments of misses, Misty decided to try a different tactic.

"Staryu, use Harden to protect yourself from its attacks!" Never mind that Pidgey hadn't attacked yet.

"Pidgey. Quick attack." Ash said calmly. Almost as an afterthought, he added that she should follow-up in poke speech.

Pidgey dived towards Staryu, and managed to throw him a few feet, even though he was very heavy, compared to her. Then, she began pecking at his jewel with all her strength. Staryu managed to blast her off with a well-aimed water gun attack though. Pidgey sailed through the air, but managed not to crash into the wall.

"Rage Tackle." Pidgey nodded and rammed herself into the Staryu, sending it flying. Then, she landed on the ground, looking very tired.

"First match goes to Ash!" Todd called.

* * *

Misty turned beet red. "Misty chooses Starmie!" Starmie barreled into Pidgey before it had time to move. Ash winced sympathetically, before he recalled her to the poke ball.

"Butterfree, I choose you! Douse that Starmie with poisonpowder!" Butterfree's wings fluttered as he drenched the Starmie with sparkling green powder. It began to turn yellow and faltered in its tackle attack.

"Come on Starmie, snap out of it! Use Bubblebeam!" The concentrated beam of bubbles slammed into Butterfree, but it did not knock out the bug. Todd looked surprised, but he just kept recording. Butterfree shook itself, before flying into the air again.

"Butterfree, try using Psybeam!" Butterfree actually smirked at the Starmie as the rings of colored energy went flying at the starfish pokemon. Seconds later, Richie knew why, as Psybeam slammed the unfortunate pokemon into a concrete wall. It sailed through a trashcan, before coming to rest near Misty's feet. Misty gasped.

"How did you do that?!"

"Not telling." Ash said, with a small smirk on his face. He idly patted Butterfree on the head and fed it a pokétreat while he waited for Misty to choose her next pokemon. While doing so, he also used a speed spell and reflection spell on Butterfree. Misty was too busy trying to figure out what to use next to notice. After some time, both Todd and Ash got bored. Todd closed his video camera and began sketching costume designs in a little blue book he happened to have. Ash took out his Game Boy and began to play pokemon pinball.

After two hours…

* * *

"Are you ready yet?!" Ash asked, very annoyed.

"Misty chooses Horsea!" Misty called, finally deciding to try her luck with her 'baby'.

Ash didn't bat an eyelid. He calmly ordered Butterfree to use Stun Spore on the un-evolved pokemon. Horsea had no chance at all, before Butterfree sapped it with Mega Drain and finished it off with Confusion.

"Well?" Ash asked nonchalantly.

"I can't believe you actually won!" Misty said, amazed. She sighed as she handed him the Cascade badge.

"What can I say?" Ash asked modestly. Pika-chan cheered.

"Yay! I knew you could do it, Ash!"

"Oh, how cute!" Misty said, noticing the little pokemon. "It's so adorable! Let me hug it!" And with that, she glomped poor, unsuspecting Pika-chan.

Pika-chan turned blue and tried not to faint.

Ash winced. He gently pried Misty away from the irate guardian before Misty was subjected to the full power of Pika-chan's Thunder attack.

* * *

Misty sighed. "Well, a loss is a loss." She said, finally getting back on track. "I hope we can have a rematch someday."

"Me too." Ash told her. Then, he returned to the center to heal his pokemon, Todd in tow.

"Wow! I can't believe you trained your Butterfree that well!" Todd said.

Ash looked a bit sheepish. "Well, that's not the whole story…"

"I guess you can say he cheated." Pika-chan put in. "He temporarily merged the Butterfree card with his Butterfree to give it an advantage."

"I still won, didn't I?" Ash asked.

"Yeah. Well, I guess I'm just surprised that no more cards have shown up." Ash rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

"Maybe it's time to use the key again, to try and locate one of them."

"You're right." Ash said. Slipping the leather loop that held the key over his head, Ash swung it in front of him slowly, like a pendulum.

"Here goes. Magic to cards, cards to key!" Both Ash and Pika-chan focused their chi on the key, to help it scan for cards in a larger area.

* * *

After a few agonizing seconds, a shaky blue beam shot out of the key and headed in the direction of the Underground Path to Vermillion.

"Well, there's definitely a card out there… but I think something is shielding it. Otherwise, the beam wouldn't be like this." Pika-chan told Ash.

"Now that that's figured out, let's go!" Ash said. He was about to bolt off when Todd interrupted.

"Can you change into this costume first?"

Ash sweatdropped. "Okay…" He took the clothes and disappeared into the alley for a few seconds, before reappearing. Pika-chan whistled. He really did look good!

* * *

Ash was dressed in a black-and-gold-striped two-piece bodysuit. On his hands were dark yellow gloves with black thunderbolt symbols on them. His feet were encased in black leather boots, while in his hair was a headband with a pair of antennae attached. On the top of each antenna was a gold ball. To finish off the outfit, Todd had made a short, barely-past waist length golden cape.

"You look dangerous." Pika-chan told him.

Ash grinned recklessly. "Shall we go, now that I am properly attired?"

"As soon as Pika-chan is done." Todd said. Pika-chan was pleased when she received her own antennae with gold balls and a little golden cape, tied at her neck with a little black bow.

"Wow, Todd, you can even make pokemon clothes?" Ash asked in interest.

Todd shrugged modestly. "Well, it wouldn't be right if you were the only one dressed up…"

"I think we'll get there quicker if we ride Ponyta." Ash said, releasing his starter pokemon. "So hop on!"

The three rode as Ponyta galloped towards the Underground path. Pretty soon, they were near the entrance.

"I sense a pokemon card." Ash said. "But it seems dangerous. Todd, I'm not sure if you should come with us…"

"I won't get hurt!" Todd promised.

"Well, if you put it that way… Pika-chan, can you please light up this tunnel?" The three of them started looking around the tunnel, but it seemed empty.

They were about to give up when Todd's camera suddenly exploded.

* * *

"What?!" Todd shouted, as Ash dived on top of him to protect him from the falling pieces.

"I think this is an electric pokémon. It's causing all electronic devices within a certain area to malfunction." Pika-chan said, matter-of-fact.

"Then I should use something strong to electricity. Sandslash, go!" Sandslash materialized, before sitting up and scouting for its opponent. Suddenly, stars shot in all directions.

Todd thankfully remembered that he had a spare video camera, so within moments, he had it out and was recording again.

"That was Sandslash's Swift attack. I think it hit something!" Pika-chan said excitedly.

"There are only two electric pokemon left, though… Electrode and Electabuzz." Ash pointed out.

"Electrode would be going off already. It has got to be Electabuzz." Pika-chan said confidently.

"In that case, Sandslash, use Fissure!" Sandslash pounded the ground, causing it to crack open and blister. There was an anguished cry from somewhere in the cave. Ash turned towards the source of the sound and swung his wand around.

"Return to your true form, pokémon card!"

Blue light surrounded a barely-visible figure, turning it into bands of blue light, which finally assumed card form. Ash caught it neatly and turned to Pika-chan.

"You're right. It was Electabuzz." Then, Ash quickly scribbled his name on the card and turned to Todd.

"You have an extra video camera?!"

Todd laughed. "Always be prepared!"

Ash sighed. "And I thought I could get off scot-free…"

* * *

End Episode 16!

Comments and Constructive Criticism are ambrosia and nectar to an authoress. Flames will be used to burn down Nelvana's headquarters in Canada. DIE CARDCAPTORS! *Evil cackling laughter*

Completed 9/2/02


	17. Explanations are in order here

Episode 17 now exists! *Smiles*

Disclaimer: Waah! I want pokemon! I want CCS! Why can't I have anything?

** Indicates thoughts, Italics indicate translated poke speech. No telepathy yet, so I'm not going to explain the symbols.

Episode 17: Explanations are in order here

* * *

"Clow… Reed?" Gary asked in confusion, as the Priest tried to explain the situation to him.

"It would have been better if the guardian beast was here to explain it to you, but I shall try my best." The priest said. "Sit down. This could take a while."

Gary sat, clutching the polished mirror to his chest.

"Clow Reed was the greatest magician this world had ever known. Don't scoff at me like that – it's true! His father was a Western Magician, while his mother was a member of a clan of powerful eastern mages. From this union, Clow was born, and he created his own type of magic – a combination of both Eastern and Western magic. He was one of those rare mages who are born with the power and ability to achieve greatness, and achieve greatness he did."

"If he was so great, why doesn't anybody remember him?" Gary wanted to know.

"Because he did not want to be remembered by the world. In the end, he expended all his energy creating his maximum opus – two books, as well as four guardians to guard them."

* * *

"What's so special about a book?"

"Ah, young master, this is where you are wrong." The priest told him. "The two books were the Clow book, where fifty-two elemental spirits of varying strengths were kept, guarded by the golden-eyed guardian beast Cerebus, as well as the Judgment maker, Yue. This book was discovered more than a thousand years ago by a young girl named Kinimoto Sakura, the daughter of Clow's reincarnation."

Gary looked impatient, but the priest ignored his glare.

"Those cards, however, were not strong enough to survive after Clow's death on the limited amount of dark energy he left them. So Sakura began the long and arduous process of changing the cards to fit her own type of magic, that which came from the stars. She completed the cycle, changing all fifty-two cards, as well as the Void, which Clow had created to balance the others, into what were known as 'Sakura cards'. She lived seven hundred years in all."

Gary's jaw dropped. "You're kidding! Nobody can live that long!"

"Ah, but she was powerful enough to extend her life. After her death, the Sakura book was lost, and sealed by her two guardians, never to be opened again. Years later, it was found. Now, it is kept in this shrine to honor her."

"Now, the second book is what you are probably interested in. It is actually not a single book at all, but a collaboration of four books, split by type. There are four sets of cards that form the complete book, but two sets which pair together separately, while two more can exist independent of each other. One of the card sets already belongs in the hands of a girl named Charlotte. She has become the mistress of the 'Sun pokemon' set. She is in the process of changing her cards now, so it would not be wise to bother her."

"Now, the set you are trying to catch now is known as the 'Kanto pokemon' set. The guardian beast of this set is unknown, but we suspect it is an electric type. When Eriol, Clow Reed's other reincarnation and Sakura worked together to create this set, they used the four elementals as their focal point. That is, Earth, Wind, Fire, and Water. I know that for the 'Sun pokémon' set, they chose Vulpix as the guardian beast. That takes care of fire. The guardian of water is a Staryu, so Kanto and Johto are Wind and Earth, respectively."

* * *

"I'm still confused."

"I am getting there, don't rush me! The 'Moon pokemon' set is still sealed, as is the 'Johto pokemon set'. It is of vital importance to capture all the pokemon cards within the 'Kanto pokemon set', though, as destruction will befall the world if they are left to their own devices."

"So I'm supposed to capture the rest of the wild pokemon cards?" Gary asked.

"Yes! That is why I gave you that mirror. It is almost as powerful as the key which Sakura and Eriol created, and it was made to give power to the card captor when it was time for him or her to face the final judgment."

Gary's head was still spinning, but he managed to thank the priest, before he left, still very perplexed.

* * *

Meanwhile, Pika-chan had finished explaining this all to Ash and Todd.

"What is the final judgment, anyways? You keep talking about it." Ash said.

"I'm not allowed to tell you. Sufficient to say that your opponent will have control over flying, normal, and psychic pokemon, as well as water-types." Pika-chan stated. "Oh yeah, and if you don't catch them all, disaster will befall this world."

Ash groaned. "This does not look very good for me, does it?"

"It's not that bad!" Pika-chan said cheerfully. "Now let's go see if we can catch more pokemon cards!"

"In this tunnel?" Ash wanted to know. He was still dressed in the shimmery gold – and – black costume and didn't look too happy.

"No, silly. In Vermillion City, of course!" Pika-chan said. "Do you think that there are more pokemon cards in here?"

"I don't know…"

* * *

As soon as they were out of the tunnel, Ash stripped the costume off and had the Vaporeon card hose him off. Once he had toweled himself dry, he changed into black jeans and a white t-shirt depicting a dancing Oddish.

"Whew! I wish there was a card that could do my laundry." Ash said.

"Actually, there is. When Clow created the Clow Card set, he put Bubbles in there for the express purpose of doing his laundry for him. I'm trying to remember if there's a pokemon card that's equivalent to that."

"Maybe there is…" Todd said. "After all, they didn't create these cards just for fun, did they?"

Blank stares were his answer.

"Um… did I say something wrong?"

Ash sighed. "Todd, great magicians do not create these things just for 'fun'. There was a reason, most likely to siphon off all that magical power they possessed so they wouldn't go insane."

Todd looked down. "Sorry."

"It's okay!" Pika-chan said. Todd still looked remorseful, so she played her cuteness to her advantage. Todd ended up giving her a week's worth of candy. Ash chuckled softly in the background.

* * *

"Now that we're out of this underground path, how long will it take us to get to Vermillion City?" Ash asked Todd.

"About three days. We still have to pass through the forest. But it won't be a waste of time." Todd hastily reassured Ash, seeing the annoyed look on the card captor's face. "There are many trainers you can face off against and stuff…"

"Well, okay." Ash said. "But I'm not going to wear any costumes!"

"Aw…" Todd said. Even Pika-chan looked a tad disappointed. Todd's outfitting skills had vastly improved since the first costume, that of the 'poster boy'. Now, they were better suited to movement.

"Fine. But only if any pokemon cards show up, since I do not relish the thought of explaining to some giggling junior trainers why I'm dressed the way I am."

"Okay!" Todd said, perking up. "You still haven't told me your favorite color."

"That's because he doesn't have one!" Pika-chan chirped. "But he likes blue, red, white, black…"

"Pika-chan!" Ash said.

"What?" She asked innocently, batting her eyelashes at him. Ash felt sweatdrops running down the back of his neck, but he wisely refrained from saying anything sarcastic. After all, she was his guardian, as well as a great friend.

"But rainbow-colored costumes don't' look good." Todd protested.

"Exactly." Ash told him. "So if you'll excuse me, I have to feed my pokemon now."

* * *

Todd blinked. Ash put out six bowls. Each had the name of a pokemon scratched on it. Ash dumped some poke chow in each bowl, before adding the garnish. Storm received some canned salmon, Pidgey got a cup of millet seed, Oddish received what looked suspiciously like fertilizer, Pika-chan's was layered with a thick, gooey fudge sauce, Ponyta had some salad mix, while Butterfree's was coated with honey and some wildflowers.

"Dig in!" Ash said, releasing his pokemon.

_Yay! This is great!_ Butterfree said, hovering over his bowl happily. _How did you get the flowers? They're fresh!  
_

"I picked them yesterday, and then I kept them in Ziploc bags. It really does help keep stuff fresh." Ash said. "And the honey is from the Beedrill card. It was sort of testy when I asked for some, but the result is well worth the stings!"

"Oh." Pika-chan said, briefly looking up from the mound of chocolate covered goo in front of her. "You know, Ash, maybe you should become a chef."

Ash looked modest. "Well, when you live with my mom, you pick up some cooking talent, I guess."

"Yeah! Your mom's food is so good!" Pika-chan said. "I wish she could have come along…"

"I'd better call mom and tell her I'm okay." Ash said. "I haven't called her for a while."

* * *

_You haven't called the Professor, either._ Ponyta reminded him. _Maybe you should._

"Well, but I was deliberately trying to put that off." Ash said, sighing. "I don't want to know how far ahead of me the other trainers are."

Ash removed the shocking pink cell phone from his backpack, wondering what had possessed Giovanni to buy one in this revolting shade. He quickly punched in his phone number and waited.

* * *

"Ring, ring!"

"Coming!" Delilah said, running towards the videophone. "I hope its Ash! He hasn't called in over a week."

"Hi, mom!" Ash said. "Guess what, I got the Boulder and Cascade badges! And I caught an Oddish too!"

"That's great, honey!" Ash's mom said, smiling brightly at her son, even though he couldn't see her face.

"I really miss your cooking." Ash said. "But don't worry, I'll come home soon! Maybe I'll drop by after I get the earth badge."

"Say, Giovanni runs that gym. He told me a few days ago. I didn't know that that was part of his job." Delilah said.

'Really? I never knew that! That's so cool!" Ash said. Then, he noticed a little heart-shaped button near the bottom of the cell phone. "Say, I wonder what this does…" And without further ado, he pushed the button.

A small panel slid out of the phone. It looked like a mirror, but when Ash looked in, he saw his mom's face.

"Wow! I didn't know that the phone could do this! Now I can talk to you face-to-face!" Ash said excitedly.

"So it does! Did you remember to change your underwear? And did you remember to brush your teeth twice a day?"

"Yes, mom." Ash said. He wasn't a little kid anymore! His mom didn't have to treat him like one!

"Good. Well, have fun. I hope you come home soon!" Delilah said. Then, she hung up. She didn't tell Ash about the surprise she had planned for his birthday.

* * *

Todd looked up from his sketchbook of costume designs. He shrugged, seeing no danger, and began to sketch again.

Ash was getting bored when he spotted something out of the corner of his eye. It wasn't a trainer, so it must be a pokemon!

"I think it's a bug pokemon. Pidgey, go! Use your Gust attack!" Ash called. The gust hit the poor, unsuspecting Sandshrew right between the eyes. Sandshrew squeaked indignantly. However, it pulled itself upright again and charged Pidgey.

"Pidgey, Whirlwind!" Ash said, hoping that the attack would slow down the determined Sandshrew.

Pidgey nodded her head and sent the energy at the pokemon, which finally squealed and fell over, after five minutes. Pidgey looked exhausted. However, just as Ash was about to recall her, she began to glow.

"What?" Ash asked. This couldn't be happening! No pokemon evolved this early!

"I think it is evolving!" Todd said excitedly, pulling out his camera and snapping pictures.

But when the glow died down, Ash saw that Pidgey hadn't changed at all. The only change was that it now had dark golden stripes along its wings.

* * *

"It evolved to a magic-type!" Pika-chan said excitedly.

"Eh?" Pika-chan rolled her eyes at her Chosen's ignorance.

"Sometimes, pokemon are strong enough to transcend barriers between magic and normality. Pidgey was one of them, but I think that Storm and Ponyta will probably evolve to magic-type too. There isn't really any visible difference, except that the markings on the pokemon's bodies are a bit different. However, they will be able to learn magical attacks as well as regular pokemon attacks."

"Wow." Ash said, impressed.

"It usually occurs when a magician takes in and cares for a pokemon. A long time ago, there were many more magicians, and hence these pokemon were almost as common as normal pokemon. However, magicians aren't immortal, and they slowly died out as technology and training took over, so no new pokemon were created. Now, only one in about 50 pokemon is a magic-type. The thing about magic-types is that some are immortal, while others have unnaturally long lifetimes, which makes them hard to catch, because they usually refuse to bond with a trainer who will die on them. Too much heartbreak involved. They are more common in Johto, and are referred to usually as 'Shining' pokemon."

"Wow…" Ash said. He hugged Pidgey tightly before he had another thought.

"But why did it just happen?"

Pika-chan sweatdropped. "Ash, get out your wand. That's the Sandshrew card!"

* * *

"Key that hides the power of the elements, reveal your true form before me! Your master under the seal of contract Ashura commands you, Release!" The golden magic circle formed under Ash's feet as his staff appeared. He quickly spun it around to face the fallen Sandshrew.

"Return to your true form, pokemon card!" Ash said.

Sandshrew wailed before resuming card form. Ash deftly caught it in his left hand as he spun to face Todd and did a 'V' for victory. Todd smiled back, before turning off his video camera.

"Say, how long is my catching period now, Pika-chan?"

"You still have a year. Don't worry about it!" Pika-chan reassured him. "And I bet you'll be finished with the league by the time the final judgment comes, so don't worry about it!"

"You sound like my mom." Ash said.

Pika-chan shrugged. "So? By the way, do you have any snacks?" She dove into Ash's backpack and returned a minute later, clutching a lemon chocolate bar.

"Hey! I was saving that!"

"Too bad!" Pika-chan said, flitting out of Ash's reach as she crunched the treat. "Yum!"

"Pika-chan!" And so, the irate Chosen chased his guardian, while Todd just sat there and laughed.

* * *

End of Episode 17!

Leave a review! Otherwise, I won't write any more! Flames will be used to make a metal collar, in order to keep Pika-chan away from Ash's snacks.

Completed 9/2/02


	18. AJ and the return of an old friend!

Hiya! Thanks to all of you who bothered to review. And to those who didn't, its bad karma! So you'd better leave a review or else!

Date: 9/10/02

Disclaimer: Do not own pokemon or CCS. PKMN goes to Nintendo, 4Kids, Game Freak, Shogakukan comics, etc. CCS belongs to Clamp and Kodansha.

Wow! I can't believe I actually wrote this many episodes. There were only supposed to be 5 extra, can you believe it? And now I'm up to this many! *Sighs* Amazing what you can do when you put your mind to it.

Note: It seems to me that Ash should (and could be) catching a lot more pokémon, but he isn't because A.), he's trying to catch all the pokemon cards, and B.), he doesn't trust Professor Oak enough to leave them with that old man.

Note: Yes, we will be seeing the dark side to Oak soon. Watch for it!

Note: Read 'Destiny's early life' to find out who Sunny is!

Another Note: _Italics_ is translated poke speech, and ** is thoughts. () will be used to indicate telepathy.

* * *

Hallow Shadows – Yep, I updated! *Cheers*

Tmp – you will see the number of pokemon cards later, I can't just give the plot away! There are only supposed to be 150 in all, but… Nobody but Ash, Gary, and Todd can hear Pika-chan talk because she's magic, remember? Todd can videotape because he has magic in his blood too, but anyone else watching would just see blank scenery. Ash is getting used to Todd's costume and it's not _that_ bad, plus it makes the episodes more fun for me.

Ranma Natsuda – No, I am not pursuing canon CCS relationships. Sorry, but shonen ai isn't my thing.

Usal-lover888 – The costumes? Well, I can't give away my secrets, but it's usually tied in to the pokemon in the episode. Watch for that!

The Plot Bunny Whisperer – Did you read the earlier chapters? If you did, there's an eight-month time period before Gary appears. During that time, Ash gets about 80 pokemon cards. You'll notice some of them popping up. So technically, Ash does have quite a lot more than Gary does…

* * *

Episode 18: A.J. and the mysterious gym. Return of an old friend!

Ash peered around. "So… how far until we hit Vermillion City?"

"Yeah, how far?" Pika-chan asked. "Yuck. Now I'm sick of creamed corn. Who knew something so good could taste so revolting after six nights of corn in a row?"

Todd blinked. "Er, I think only one more day of traveling."

"Yes! That means we can sleep in a real bed tomorrow!" Ash said.

"And tomorrow's Sunday, so we won't miss the all-you-can-eat buffet at the pokemon center!" Pika-chan chimed in. She sighed happily, thinking of all the great food served there. Her Chosen also looked happier, since they had free human food on Saturdays too!

"Say, aren't there any trainers out here?" Ash finally asked. He scanned the surrounding area, but he didn't see anyone.

"Probably not. It's too dark in this part of the forest. Maybe up ahead…" Todd said, looking around. * That's odd. Last time I was here, this place was crawling with kids. Where did they all go? *

"Can I have a snack?" Pika-chan asked hopefully. Ash tossed her a couple of milk caramels, before thinking about the situation.

"Right!" Ash said. He fingered his poke balls nervously. * I wish my belt could hold more poke balls… I can only catch one more before they get sent to Oak. I really don't trust him. I mean, he was nice to me, and all that, but there's that huge room in the back of his lab that's giving out bad vibes… *

* * *

"What's bothering you, Ash?" Pika-chan asked suddenly. She could feel her Chosen's… reluctance, and it was odd.

"Do you know any spells that I can use so I can carry more than six pokemon? I don't really trust Professor Oak that much." Ash said. "After all, he _is _Gary's grandfather…"

"Hmm… did you bring any magic books with you?" Pika-chan queried.

"Pika-chan! You know I don't have any! I only know the spells that you taught me." Ash said. * I wouldn't mind getting my hands on some of them, though… * He couldn't remember his past at all, so he was unaware that somewhere, there was a house ready-prepared for him with all the magic items and conveniences he would ever need.

"There is an used bookstore in Vermillion." Todd broke in. "Maybe you could find something useful there."

"Maybe…" Ash said thoughtfully. Just then, he saw a trainer run by in tears. She was so distraught that she crashed into Todd, knocking him down. Todd landed on his rear with an oof.

* * *

"Sorry!" The girl said. She had short honey-blonde hair and green eyes. "I didn't expect there to be anyone out here."

"Why not? Is this private property?" Ash asked. Pika-chan settled on Ponyta's head to watch.

"No. It's just that since A.J. came, nobody wants to fight pokemon battles out here anymore."

"Why?" Todd asked. "Who is A.J., anyways? And how is he preventing you from battling?"

The girl wiped her eyes. "If you're going in that direction, you're going to have to fight him. I'll tell you on the way there. I have to go to the pokemon center anyways."

"My name's Cecilia." She said, as they walked along. "Me and my friends Jon and Andy used to train in this forest, along with a bunch of other kids. We'd challenge all the hotshot trainers that came through on their way to Vermillion. Sometimes we lost and sometimes we won, but it wasn't a bad arrangement. Then, A.J. came."

"Was he a good trainer?" Todd wanted to know.

"He was a freakishly good trainer! I don't know what kind of training method he used, but when he passed through, he completely creamed all of us! We thought that he would just continue to Vermillion, get the badge, and leave, but we were wrong. He _did _get the badge, but afterwards, he built a gym here!"

* * *

"Isn't that illegal?" Ash asked.

"Well, his 'gym' isn't sanctioned by the pokemon league, but nobody really cares about it, since he isn't a champion or anything like that. The problem is that he started pushing us out of the forest, said that we couldn't train here anymore. He's only got a couple of pokémon, but they're incredible strong! Even Charlene, our leader, lost to him, and she's got a Raichu, plus a Pidgeot, a Vileplume, and a Poliwhirl!" Cecelia said. She sniffled softly, before continuing the story.

"Anyways, we finally got fed up and challenged him. He beat all of us! I was one of the last trainers, and I saw him cream all my friends! There's no way anybody can beat him! He's got almost a hundred wins and no losses!"

"That's incredible!" Ash said.

Cecilia gave him a glare. "I know he's good, but we have a right to use the forest too! Say, if you do beat him, can you reclaim it for us?"

"Sure. If I beat him." Ash said. He wasn't feeling too well, as butterflies started to start up in his stomach. He wasn't a bad trainer, but this guy sounded deadly!

* * *

Soon, with Cecilia leading the way, they reached a gym entirely built out of wooden planks. Above the entrance was a large, black-and-white, flashing signboard, which said, quite clearly. " Wins, 98. Losses, 0."

Ash gulped.

Pika-chan reassuringly patted her Chosen on the head. Ash was about to enter when something pounced on him.

Pika-chan blinked. It was a Jolteon, certainly, but it was a female. The Jolteon put her paws on Ash's chest and licked his face, tail wagging excitedly.

Ash blinked for a few seconds, before recognition flashed in his eyes at last. "_Sunny_?"

The Jolteon nodded her head energetically.

Todd put down his sketchbook. "Ash, you _know_ this wild pokemon?" His amazement was clearly displayed.

"Actually, I do. I found her in the woods outside of Pallet after my Dratini got kidnapped." Ash said. "We were friends, but after a year, she mysteriously disappeared. I still can't figure out why, but I'm glad to see her again." He sat up and put his arms around Sunny happily.

Sunny did a little flip in the air for joy. It had taken her weeks to find him! She had gone to Pallet first, only to discover that he had already left on his journey. It was lucky that Mew and Mewtwo had let her go back to find him.

Pika-chan looked carefully. This Jolteon wasn't a _normal _Jolteon. It was from the Eevee valley.

* * *

"Hi!" She said to Sunny.

Sunny held out a paw and shook with Pika-chan. (Nice to meet you.)

Pika-chan nearly fell out of the air in shock. (You're a telepathic?)

(All the legendaries are, as are the eevees born in Eevee valley.)

(Oh. By the way, how do you know Ash?)

(I was his 'sister' for five years. He lived in Eevee valley for five years, before the legendaries, namely Mew, sent him into the human world. He lost his memories then, but after Storm was kidnapped, I was sent to comfort him. I was his guardian for a year, before my term was up and I returned to Eevee valley to be with my relatives. However, Mew informed me that I had done a good job as a guardian, so I could be one of his pokemon.)

(So Ash knew Storm too?)

(Storm was Lugia's companion. She was supposed to stay with Ash, but then TR kidnapped her. Fortunately, she wound up at the Viridian poke center, and then Ash's mom brought her home.)

(This is so out of this world!) Pika-chan said. (Ash is a very special person, isn't he?)

(Yep!) Sunny said.

Ash peered at Sunny and Pika-chan. They were probably communicating in their own language. He focused his attention on the gym ahead and picked up Storm's great ball.

* * *

"I wonder what type of pokemon A.J. has…"

"He has a Sandshrew. It's deadly." Cecilia said.

"A Sandshrew is deadly?" Ash was sure that his confusion was clearly stamped on his face.

"You'd better believe it."

Todd looked nervous. "Maybe you shouldn't challenge him, Ash."

"I'm already nervous!" Ash said. "No need to make me even more flustered." He squared his shoulders and marched in, his hands sweating in his dark blue gloves.

"Well, I'm videotaping this battle, so you'd better change!" Todd said, shoving a bag into Ash's arms.

Ash sweatdropped and quickly went behind a tree.

Cecilia blinked. "What's going on?"

"If he's going to fight A.J., he'd better be prepared." Todd said. He looked over to where Ponyta was grazing without a care in the world, while Pika-chan and Sunny were playing tag in the grass.

"O-kay…" Cecilia said.

* * *

Ash came out from behind the tree a few moments later. Sunny's eyes lit up when she saw it. He wore a shirt of sky-blue silk, with wide bands of silver embroidery at the sleeves, over dark blue silk pants. The shirt fell to his knees, and was belted at the waist with a sash of black silk. He had dark blue wristbands with this outfit, as well as dark blue boots. Ash idly wondered how Todd could afford this.

"Kawaii!" Pika-chan said, with little hearts in her eyes. "Blue is a really good color for you!"

(ep!) Sunny said, directly into Ash's head. )You should wear it more often!) Ash blushed at the praise.

"Go on!" Todd said, following six steps behind Ash with his camera. When Ash walked in, he saw an arena on the dirt floor. There was a boy with spiky green hair training his Sandshrew there.

"Are you A.J.?" Ash asked.

A.J. looked up. "That's me. Ya wanna battle or something?"

"Okay!" Ash said.

"In that case, I choose Sandshrew!" A.J. said. The small rodent popped out of the ground and blinked cutely at the assembled audience.

* * *

Ash pondered. * Should I use Pidgey? She beat the Sandshrew card, but she was awfully tired afterwards… Sunny is an electric type… Oddish isn't good enough yet… and I'm not sure about Butterfree… *

"Oh well. Storm, I choose you! Use Bubblebeam!" Storm flew out of her ball gracefully and immediately launched Bubblebeam against the Sandshrew. Sandshrew spun around for a while but regained its bearings and retaliated with earthquake.

Ash winced. Storm could fly, yes, but Earthquake was still very damaging. He needed to take the Sandshrew out now. He locked eyes with Storm and nodded.

"Tri-combination now!" Storm started off with Bubblebeam, and then launched Thunderbolt while the pokemon was still soaked, before finishing off with Hyper Beam. It was a good thing that she had high speed. Ash sighed in relief when Sandshrew fell over with swirls for eyes.

"Amazing!" A.J. said, incredulously. "You actually beat my Sandshrew! How?"

"Your downfall was the fact that you only had one single strong pokémon. But that's not what I came to talk about." Ash said. He turned to A.J. "Is it true that you took over this forest so other trainers couldn't battle here?"

A.J. looked sheepish. "Well…"

"Just because you were better didn't give you the right to chase them out." Ash said. "You may be better than all of them at the moment, but that doesn't mean you're invincible."

"Yeah!" Cecilia chimed in. "And since you lost also, I'm speaking for our group here, we want the forest back!"

"Okay, okay!" A.J. said. "I'll let you train here too." He was still in shock from being beaten.

* * *

After they left, Ash could still see Cecilia and some of her friends waving at him. Sunny trotted along behind Ponyta, as Ash lazily leaned against her neck. Pika-chan turned to Ash, worried.

"You looked tired. What happened?"

"I used Pain Split on Storm, so she would be able to survive Sandshrew's earthquake attack. That's why I'm tired." Ash admitted.

"Well, it's lucky that the Vermillion is straight ahead!" Pika-chan said.

Ash looked up. They were almost at the city limits.

"All right! We're sleeping in a real bed tonight!"

"And tomorrow's the all-you-can-eat-buffet!" Pika-chan said happily.

With those thoughts in mind, Ponyta was urged to a gallop and they rode through the gates, into the city of Vermillion.

* * *

End Episode 18!

Completed 9/11/02


	19. Meetings and More

Episode 19 has come! Wow, can't believe there's this many…

Disclaimer: Shadow does not own pokemon or CCS. I offered them five dollars and a battered copy of Fushigi Yuugi volume 4, but they refused. I even threw in a package of Kleenex and a blue gel pen, but no deal. *Sobs*

Note: You know I'm not giving the timeline! It's only a couple of days after A.J.'s gym, anyways…

Note: As always, ** indicates thoughts, () indicates telepathic communication, while italics indicates translated poke speech.

Note: Remember, Destiny belongs to me.

HALLOW Shadows and TIMBER phoenix: Glad you like it! Thanx for reviewing!

Ranma Natsuba – Yeah, that's what I meant. Sorry for the unclearness. Anyways, I just don't do shonen ai in pokemon stories… Do you mind if I just refer to you as Ranma, like before you changed your name? Because it's a lot more convenient for me…

Tmp – Pika-chan doesn't find out that Ash is Destiny yet, I'm waiting for her shocked look during the Final Judgment, Hehehe. The 'house' reference is sort of foreshadowing for the future, wow, somebody caught it!

* * *

Episode 19: Meetings and more

Ash happily reclaimed his pokemon from Nurse Joy. Now, all of them were healed. He greeted Storm, Sunny, Pidgey, Oddish, Butterfree, and Ponyta happily. Then, he turned to Pika-chan again.

"Pika-chan… I have six now. Are you sure you don't know any spells?"

"I'm sure. Let's check that bookstore." Pika-chan suggested.

"I'll show you where it is." Todd said. He led them through the busy streets of Vermillion City.

Soon, they reached the bookstore. It had a mystical quality to it, because of the crystals suspended in the windows, as well as some statues. Ash blinked. "Is this a _bookstore_?"

"Well, it _was_ here…" Todd said. "We might as well go in and check." He remembered that it had looked different…

* * *

They walked into the store. As soon as they entered, the lights went on, bathing them in soft white radiance. Ash looked around. Sure enough, there were shelves full of books. However, there were also carvings, old-style poke balls, rare pokémon items, and a counter of… snacks?

"Welcome. How may I help you?" A voice asked. They spun around and found themselves face-to-face with a young woman. She had black wavy hair that fell to her waist, and big blue eyes. On her shoulder sat a Vulpix.

"Um, I don't know how to say this, but do you have any magic books?" Ash asked.

"All of these are magic books, or pokemon related. And if you want to buy anything else, just ask me what it does."

"Okay…" Todd whispered. "This is scary."

"Okay." Ash said. He moved to the bookshelves and began browsing. "Pika-chan, are these all real magic books?"

"I think so." Pika-chan said. "There's an overwhelmingly strong aura of power coming from them."

"Help me find something, then." Ash said. Soon, Pika-chan had an armful of books.

"These will all help. They're the most complete spell books I could find. I still can't figure out how the shopkeeper got these, though…"

Todd was busy looking at the statues. He found several made out of clear crystal that he wanted to buy, so he called the owner over.

* * *

"Yes?" She asked pleasantly.

"How much are these?"

"Well, they're seven fifty each, so if you get four, that'll be thirty dollars."

Todd handed over the money and pocketed them. They were really cool!

After a while, Ash approached the counter. He had sixteen spell books, eight crystals, some pokemon items, and an armful of snacks.

"Will that be all?" She asked.

"Yes." Inwardly, Ash cringed at the thought of the price.

"They're free, if you'll take this." She said, handing him a black-and-white poke ball.

* * *

"What?!" Ash's jaw dropped. So did Pika-chan's. Suddenly, Pika-chan noticed something.

"Wait a minute…" She turned to the Vulpix sitting on the girl's shoulder. "Vulpix-chan, is that you?"

The Vulpix giggled, as a pair of little golden wings sprouted out of its back. "Yep! I knew I wouldn't be able to fool you!"

"No way!" Ash said in disbelief. "That means you're the Sun pokemon master, aren't you!"

"Charlotte!" Pika-chan said. "What are you doing here?"

Charlotte shrugged as she wrapped Ash's packages. "Angel told me to come," she said, referring to the second guardian in the sun card set, a white cat pokemon with wings. "He said to wait for you, since you would need some of the stuff that couldn't be obtained from this dimension."

"You traveled cross-dimensions just to give us this stuff? Then it must really be important!"

"Of course its important!" Vulpix-chan said. She wagged her six tails. "Nice to see you again, Pika-chan." *wink, wink*

Pika-chan sighed. Meanwhile, Todd was _very_ confused.

"Am I missing something?"

"Not really." Charlotte said, handing Ash his packages, before dropping some more stuff into his backpack, which he didn't notice. "Well, I gotta go now. My task is complete and I shouldn't linger here too long, before reality starts to tear. See you!"

A staff appeared in one of her hands.

"Mew! Teleport!" Then, she vanished in a flash of golden light. The shop's appearance returned to what Todd had remembered, nothing but rows and rows of books. But when he checked his bag, he found that the crystals were still there.

* * *

Ash was still dazed and confused. He decided to ask Pika-chan about it later. After a few minutes, he turned to the poke ball.

"I wonder what's in here…"

Pika-chan shrugged. "Why don't you open it?"

"Maybe I should." Ash said. He called out Storm for protection just in case whatever came out decided to attack him, before pressing the release button on the poke ball. Out popped a pokemon none of them had ever seen before.

It resembled the mews Ash had seen in carvings, but with some subtle differences. It was pale blue in color, with white-tipped paws and a little corkscrew tail. On its back were patterns of clouds in a darker shade of blue, while it had big green eyes.

"Skymew!" It chirped playfully, before bouncing around the room.

"Skymew?" Ash asked. "Is that what it's called?"

Pika-chan rubbed her eyes and peered again. "I've never seen this pokemon before. It must be from Charlotte's dimension. But it seems to be pretty common in her dimension."

"It's so pretty!" Ash said, hugging the little pokemon. It chirped quietly and settled on his head. Todd took several pictures, babbling excitedly all the while.

"You're so lucky!" Todd said enviously. "Nobody's ever given _me _a pokemon before…"

"Well, that's because you're a photographer, not a pokemon trainer." Pika-chan said matter-of-factly. "Now then, do you want to go challenge the gym leader for a badge?"

"Well, I am trying to be a pokemon master you know." Ash whipped out Dexter and pointed it at Skymew.

"No data recorded." Dexter beeped.

* * *

(Of course there isn't any data! After all, she is for another dimension.) Sunny pointed out. (Besides, the pokédex only has information on 150 pokemon right now. There are a lot of undiscovered pokemon still out there.)

"Thanks for telling me." Ash said. "Okay, Dexter. Analyze, please."

Dexter beeped a few times, before starting to talk again. "Skymew. The weather pokemon. These pokemon can cause pleasant weather or sudden storms, depending on their mood. They usually travel in family groups of five or more."

(Hi!) Skymew said, also telepathically. (I'm very pleased to meet you face-to-face at last!)

"What do you mean 'at last'?" Pika-chan asked, feeling a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach.

(Vulpix-chan wired one of the interdimensional mirrors to spy on you. I've been watching your adventures.) Skymew said, matter-of-factly. (After all, I am supposed to be acquainted with my new master, no?)

Ash's jaw dropped. Pika-chan nearly toppled out of the air, while Todd was too shocked to react.

"WHAT?!"

* * *

(It's true!) Skymew protested. (Do you think I would lie?) She looked so cute and innocent that Ash felt his resolve begin to melt away.

Pika-chan began muttering under her breath. Ash took several deep breaths to calm down. * I can deal with this! It's not like she's going to tell anybody, right? Still, it's kind of embarrassing. *

Skymew stretched.

Sunny hid her surprise very well. She began to trace little patterns in the dust with her paws.

Storm floated in the air, admiring the beautiful sunset.

Todd took pictures.

Finally, Ash and Pika-chan regained their senses.

* * *

"It's okay, I guess…"

"Yeah. So, do you want that badge or not?" Pika-chan asked her Chosen, teasing him.

"Of course!" Ash said. "Let's go!"

And so, the now enlarged group headed for the Vermillion city gym. Ash still wondered which pokemon he would use, but he could deal with that later.

Another Gary bit!

* * *

Gary reached out to touch the pink book that was floating in midair, but there was a force field in the way and he could only stare at the elaborate item.

"Don't bother." The priest told him. "Nobody can touch that, not even me. Just leave it alone. When the new owner comes, we'll know."

"Thanks for the mirror." Gary said.

"No problem. Remember, you can use it to sense pokemon cards. If the mirror glows yellow, that means there is one nearby."

"All right." Gary said. He headed into the tall grass.

Soon, the mirror began to glow. Gary looked around for the pokemon card.

"Come on, where is it?"

Gary tried to find the card for an hour, before he remembered what the priest had told him.

"Oh yeah. He said I could activate pokemon cards with this mirror. Okay. Here goes!" Gary pulled the Flareon card (with his name scrawled at the bottom in blue ink) out of his pocket and shone the mirror on it.

"Flareon card, find whatever your opponent is and beat it up!" Gary commanded.

The Flareon's eyes glowed silver for a second, before it bolted off into the grass. In a few minutes it returned with something hanging limp from its mouth.

"All right! Good girl!" Gary said. He brandished the mirror at Flareon, and soon, he had a new card.

"There was a Golbat card?" He asked nobody in particular.

There was no reply, but Gary wasn't expecting one. He shrugged, pulled out a blue pen, and scribbled his name on the bottom of the card, marking it as his own. Then, he pulled out a mirror and began to re-spike his hair.

"Ash, you may have more experience, but there is no way you will ever beat Gary Oak! I swear on my pokédex!"

* * *

Ash sneezed.

Pika-chan looked concerned. "Are you coming down with a cold or something?"

Ash shook his head. "No. But I could have sworn that I heard someone talking about me…"

"I didn't say a word!" Todd said. He was busy trying to talk Ash into wearing a costume for the upcoming gym battle.

"No!" Ash said. "I don't mind costumes if I'm off catching cards, but this is a public battle! I'll never show my face again!"

"Touchy." Pika-chan remarked.

"_Pika-chan_! You're not siding with him, are you?"

"Maybe." Pika-chan said, darting out of the way. Ash growled, but refrained from smacking her. After all, she _was_ his guardian, and he was supposed to take care of her, even though it was supposed to be the other way around.

(Are they always like this?) Starmew inquired.

Todd shrugged. "Yep. You get used to it after a while."

Sunny trotted next to Ash. She was there for moral support, because she wasn't sure that she could be of much use in an electric pokemon gym.

And they continued walking down the street, bickering all the while.

* * *

End Episode 19! Please review or I refuse to post the next part! Flames will be used to make steak kabobs.

Completed 9/18/02


	20. Thunder never strikes twice, right?

Episode 20! I was planning on making this the last episode, but I decided against it. Lucky for you readers... Many thanks to those of you that bothered to review!

Disclaimer: Nintendo has no intentions of selling pokemon to me. I don't think 4 Kids, Game Freak, or Shogakukan Comics will want to sell it either. So I'm stuck with nothing but some half-baked ideas and my fanfiction. Oh well.

Disclaimer: Shadow's fanfiction belongs to yours truly under the International Copyright law. Therefore, if I catch you posting or stealing without my permission, I will not hesitate to complain. Archives are fine, but **ask** first! It only takes 5 minutes to type e-mail…

Note: Takes place right after Episode 19. After all, they were on their way to the gym, right? ** Is thoughts, is telepathy, and Italics is translated poke speech.

Ranma – Yep, Skymew will add a new angle!

Hallow SHADOWS, Miss Misty U.S.A., and Perverted P-chan. Thanx for your support!

Tmp- No, Ash doesn't know he's Destiny yet. Why Skymew wasn't transferred will be explained a bit later. Anyways, Skymew technically does not 'exist' in this time plane yet, by the time she does Ash will have figured out a way around the system. Skymew _will_ battle later!

P.S. HS, if you promise to update Family Ties, I'll promise to update mine too, okay?

Note: Since I'm putting up this chapter _early_, I'll be working on other stories, okay? () for telepathy and _italics _when a Pokemon talks, ** for thoughts

* * *

Episode 20: Thunder never strikes twice in the same place, right?

Ash peered into the darkened gym, searching for the leader. Where was he? And why was it so dark?

Pika-chan looked around nervously, afraid that something might come out and jump them. Sunny twitched her ears, listening for any sound, while Todd put down his video camera and peered into the surrounding gloom. A kind of nervous excitement pervaded all of them.

Ash finally worked up his courage. "Hello? Is anyone here?"

* * *

A spotlight shone onto the gym floor. Two junior trainers appeared, standing in front of a set of closed, cast-iron doors.

"The gym leader is within, but you must defeat us first!" The girl said. She had red wavy hair and was dressed in camouflage.

"Can you withstand the power of thunder?" The boy asked. He had black hair, cropped close to the skull, and was also dressed in army attire.

Ash turned to Todd, who shrugged helplessly.

"All gym leaders are allowed to have trainers under them. You have to defeat them first. There weren't any in Pewter or Cerulean, because both gyms were destroyed, remember?"

"Oh yeah." Ash said. He shrugged. "Okay, I'll do it."

"You first, Vicky." The boy said.

Vicky shrugged and took her place opposite of Ash on the arena. "Are you ready?"

"Sure." Ash said, with a hand on his poke balls.

* * *

"Good, because I'm not going easy on you. Magnemite, I choose you!" The small magnet pokemon popped out and looked around for its opponent, humming softly. The single eye set in its 'head' regarded Ash with a slightly contemptuous stare. Ash thought quickly.

Use a ground or rock type. Sunny suggested telepathically. (That would give you a type advantage.)

(But I don't have any of those!) Ash protested telepathically, though he didn't know how he did it. Sunny sweatdropped.

(You don't?!)

Ash rubbed his chin, as Vicky started to pace impatiently. "Are you going to fight me or not?"

"Ponyta, go!" Ash said. "Use your flamethrower!"

Ponyta reared up on her hind legs and shot a stream of concentrated flames at the Magnemite, turning it red-hot. Ash winced in sympathy as Magnemite fell over with little swirls circling around its head.

"What?! Magnemite, return! Magneton, take that pokemon out with your Thunder!"

Thunder crashed down on Ponyta, who got singed but avoided most of the damage. Ash gulped.

"Um, Ponyta, use Flamethrower again!" However, Ponyta shook her head, dodged the Thunder, and launched Smash Kick against Magneton, throwing it into one of the gym walls. Then, she followed up with Fire Spin, trapping Magneton so it couldn't escape.

Ash sweatdropped. * Well, whatever works, I guess… *

Ponyta trotted back to Ash's side with her head held high. Pika-chan turned to Sunny and they both shrugged.

"Fine, you win. I don't have any more pokemon." Vicky said, handing Ash some money.

* * *

"Gerald, your turn!"

The boy frowned, but turned to Ash. "Okay, punk, you might have beat Vicky, but you'll never beat me. Voltorb, I choose you!"

Ash rolled his eyes and recalled Ponyta. * Let's see… I have to save Storm for the leader, so what should I use? Oddish might work, grass is strong to electric, right? * He reached over and pulled out Oddish's poke ball.

"Oddish, I choose you!"

Oddish popped out, and blinked cutely at the Voltorb which was floating above its head.

Gerald snickered. "Voltorb, just tackle it away from you!" Voltorb bounced up in the air twice, before tackling Oddish to the floor.

(At this range, you can't miss.) Ash said telepathically to Oddish. (I want you to douse it with poisonpowder.) Oddish was happy to comply, and soon, Voltorb was out due to poisoning.

"No way!" Gerald said. "Oh well, why don't I try something else this time. Pikachu, I choose you!"

Oddish tried to run from the little electric rodent, but it couldn't escape. Soon, the Pikachu had fainted Oddish. Ash recalled his little friend, trying to decide what to use next.

"Let's see… Pikachu's speed gives it an advantage, but if something could be done to match its speed or slow it down…"

* * *

(I'll go!) Sunny said. (Don't worry, I can beat the pikachu.)

(Are you sure?)

(Of course!) Sunny said, her fur standing on end. (I'm ready whenever you are!)

"Okay. Sunny, go!" Ash said. Sunny jumped off the bleachers and proudly walked into the arena. Gerald burst out laughing.

"You're using an electric pokemon against my Pikachu?" He asked, between gales of laughter.

"Yes, why not?" Ash asked.

"Okay, Pikachu, make this a one-hit K.O. I want you to use your Thunder to knock it out!"

The enemy pikachu looked determined, as its cheeks began to spark angrily. Sunny seemed unconcerned. When the dust finally cleared after the electric blast, Sunny was still standing.

(Idiot.) Sunny muttered, before using Bite on the Pikachu.

It shrieked in pain and tried to run, but Sunny was a fox while it was a mouse. Within moments, Sunny had the Pikachu pinned and was ready to eat it.

"Sheesh! No need to be so serious!" Gerald said, before he recalled his pokemon. Ash looked offended.

"Well, now that I've finally beaten you, can I see the gym leader now?"

"Yes! Yes!"

The doors swung open. Todd quit videotaping and quickly dragged Ash over to a bathroom to change. When Ash emerged, his face was beat red underneath his outfit. He wore what looked like stylized medieval armor, with a helmet that covered his face, and even a fake sword as a prop. From his shoulders hung a dark purple cape, which fit nicely with the steel-colored armor. But it was so heavy!

* * *

"Kawaii!" Todd said, clapping his hands. Ash sweatdropped. Only _Todd_ would think that something like this would be 'cute'.

(Well, I'd say something, but I'm too busy laughing.) Pika-chan said, giggling on the floor.

(Say, I was wondering. How can I talk to you telepathically? I'm not a psychic.) Ash said.

"Oh, that's easy to explain." Pika-chan said. "It's the white crystal you're carrying around in your backpack."

"Eh?" Ash produced the aforementioned stone. It was white, but it was glowing faintly purple. Before Ash could react, it had attached itself to his chest, underneath the shirt. In a moment, it had vanished.

(What is going on here?!) Ash demanded.

(I think you ingested the crystal.) Sunny said thoughtfully. (Don't worry. It's just a magic booster.)

Ash spent several moments freaking out before he calmed down enough to go inside. * Breathe. Relax. This doesn't change anything. It won't hurt me, right?*

"Right." Ash said out loud, patting his chest. "Well, now that we're done with this little drama, where's the leader?"

* * *

Surge peered out. "Are you my challenger? You're just a kid!"

"I'm not a kid!" Ash complained. "I'm twelve years old!"

"Well, if you beat those two junior trainers, you must be okay." Surge said. "Okay, Raichu, lets show this baby what we can do." Raichu popped out of its poke ball, looking self-satisfied. Why wouldn't she be? After all, she had beaten almost all of the challengers so far.

"Storm, I choose you!" Ash said, not taking any chances. Storm's cry split the air, as she attacked Raichu with ice beam.

_ This should be a good match._ She commented. _After all, I am quite resistant to electric attacks._

Raichu retaliated with mega punch and mega kick. Storm shrugged, normal-based attacks weren't particularly good against dragons. She decided to counter with Surf.

Raichu nearly drowned in all of the water, as it filled the gym until Ash was almost up to his neck. Since Surge was taller, it wasn't that bad for him, although his pants did get soaked.

"Water conducts electricity, Raichu. Finish it off with ten thousand volt thunder!"

Raichu's cheeks sparked, as she zapped Dragonair, but Storm just shrugged it off. _I won't let you win!_ Raichu said.

_Fool. Dragons only receive one-fourth damage from the base elements. _She said proudly before using Earthquake on the electric squirrel. Raichu's eyes went into snail form and she toppled over. The water also drained out into the convenient cracks. Surge's jaw dropped.

* * *

"No way!" Surge said, stunned.

Ash recalled Storm. "Sorry, but that's the way it is."

"Well, I'm impressed. Maybe you're not a baby after all. In any case, you earned this badge." Surge said, handing over the Thunder badge. "It increases your pokemon's speed."

Yay! You won! Sunny cheered, doing a cartwheel in the air.

"Good job, Ash!" Todd said, as he closed his camera. "I'm impressed with your style."

"Can I get out of this costume now?" Ash pleaded.

"Well… I guess." Todd said. "It shouldn't be too much trouble."

* * *

"Did someone say trouble?" A voice asked.

"Oh no." Ash muttered under his breath.

"Prepare for trouble!" Amy shouted.

"And make it double!" Jake continued.

"To protect the world from devastation!"

"To unite all peoples within our nation!"

"To denounce the evils of truth and love!"

"To extend our reach to the stars above!"

"Amy!"

"Jake!"

"Team Rocket blasts off at the speed of light!"

"Surrender now or prepare to fight!"

"Ninetales!" The fox pokemon said, finishing off the speech.

* * *

"They never change do they." Ash said, sighing. "Oh well, at least they left me alone for a while."

"Give us your pokemon, kid." Jake said. "Diglett, go!"

"Never!" Ash said. "Butterfree, go! Use whirlwind on them!" Butterfree nodded his head and began to create a wind tunnel, which blew the rockets out through a convenient window. They barely had time to recover when they hit the sky.

"It looks like Team Rocket's blasting off again!" Amy shouted as they flew through the air. "And we like this less and less!"

"We didn't even get to attack." Jake said miserably.

"Nine." Ninetales added.

"Some things never change." Todd commented. "Looks like Team Rocket's one of them."

Surge just blinked and shrugged.

"Well, see you kid. Good luck."

* * *

End Episode 20!

Not yet. Don't worry, there's a bit more.

They were about to leave, when something flew past the gym. Ash looked up and stared. "No way…"

"Yes way." Pika-chan said. "You see, there's Articuno. That means between you and Gary, all of the other pokemon cards have been captured. You'd better hurry, because that means that the final judgment is near."

"You're right." Ash said. "So, how do I catch it?" He quickly summoned his wand with the short version of the incantation. (A.k.a., release)

"Dunno. Try putting it to sleep. That usually works."

"Okay." Ash was still in his armor, so Todd began to videotape again, wishing that he had had time to change Ash into a different costume. "Charizard, I choose you! Use Fire Blast!"

The Charizard card charged Articuno, as flames surrounded the bird. Articuno shrieked and froze Charizard solid. Ash quickly recalled the card. The Charizard looked peeved, but he had no time to ponder it now.

"Jigglypuff, go! Use your Sing!" Ash commanded. Jigglypuff blew itself up and began to sing, directing the sound waves at Articuno. The legendary bird's eyelids drooped lower and lower, until it finally fell to Ash's feet, snoring softly.

"Return to your true from, pokémon card!" Ash called, as the Articuno took on the now familiar blue card shape.

Ash breathed a sigh of relief. He wrote his name on the card and pocketed it, before falling over, asleep.

* * *

To be continued…

Comments and Criticism are great! Flames will be used to summon Seiryu seikun! Ohohohoho!

Completed 9/22/02


	21. Magic really comes in unlikely forms

Hahaha! Episode 21 is now alive and well! Confused? E-mail me and I might include an explanation.

Disclaimer: Nintendo did not sell me pokemon, much to my sadness. I can only hope that one day, it will be mine. Clamp refused to sell me Card Captor Sakura either. What bad luck! It's not fair!

Note: Takes place right after Episode 20

Note: Just in case you didn't know, ** indicates thoughts, indicates telepathy, and italics indicate poke speech which has been roughly translated into English by the poor, slaving authoress.

Ranma – the card battles will be arriving soon, don't worry! And yes, I didn't kill Todd yet. He sort of needs to be there. Skymew will get more attention later, please wait!

Masterofwords, Dawn the Espeon, and Hollow Shadows – thanks for reviewing! I'll keep writing, okay? *Winks*

Note: The final judgment is still a couple of chapters off, be patient!

HS : I want you to update family ties! Please!

* * *

Episode 21: Magic _really_ comes in unlikely forms.

Ash stayed asleep for two straight days. Pika-chan spent all her time either staring at him with foreboding, or chatting with the pokemon cards anxiously. Todd took the opportunity to measure Ash again, and found that the trainer had grown half an inch, which meant he had to let out the hems on the pants he had made. Sunny tried to zap Ash awake several times, but she had no luck. So it was with happiness that everyone regarded him when Ash finally woke up.

"Uh… my head hurts…" Ash moaned. "What happened?"

"Did you forget?" Todd asked, holding up a tape excitedly. "I can show you, it looks great on film!"

"I'll tell him." Pika-chan said, ignoring Todd's sad look. Todd sighed and began to polish his video camera.

She landed on Ash's pillow next to him. "Right after your battle with Lieutenant Surge, the Articuno card attacked us. You captured it, but fighting any of the big five is always a draining experience. It was like you were fighting Articuno yourself, through the cards. Which reminds me, you haven't learned how to transform into pokémon cards yet. That skill would be very useful if you want to defeat the Final Judgment maker. You have very little time left, so I suggest that you learn as soon as possible."

"Does that mean practicing out in the woods?"

"You're absolutely correct!" Pika-chan said. She flashed Ash a peace sign and did a little midair flip.

* * *

Ash sighed. Just then, Nurse Joy came in.

"Oh! You're awake! Your mother has been very worried about you." She said.

Ash felt a sinking motion in his stomach. "You called her?"

"Well, she wanted to know why you hadn't called her earlier, if you were already in Vermillion."

"I think I'm okay now." Ash said, trying to get up. He promptly fell flat on his face.

Pika-chan giggled from the pillow. Ash shot her a dirty look and tried to get up again. Nurse Joy did not say anything as she pulled him up into a standing position and plopped him back onto the bed again.

* * *

"No you're not! You are going to be staying in bed for at least another week! We can't have you running around training pokemon if you're still sick. Doctor's orders." Joy said sternly.

Ash groaned, but resigned himself to this fate. * Now how am I supposed to train? I have to stay in bed for a week just because I blacked out? It's not fair! *

"Now, I'll send one of the Chanseys up with a meal if you're hungry. If you need to go to the bathroom, you can use those crutches over there to help."

"A meal would be good." Ash said, as his stomach rumbled in protest at two days without food.

"Okay." Nurse Joy said. "Now remember to stay in bed!" She fixed him with a stern look.

Ash inwardly blanched. * Eep! What happened to the nice, caring Nurse Joy? * Just then, Sunny came in. When she saw that Ash was finally awake, she happily began licking his face. Ash tried to push her off, but he had no strength and was forced to stay put.

* * *

"Well, now would be a good time to practice your magic." Pika-chan said. She indicated the backpack still full to the brim with magical items and spell books. Ash groaned as she tossed him the first one. It had light blue leather binding, but instead of being old and flaky, the book looked brand-new. Ash shrugged and decided to ignore it. He turned to Pika-chan.

"Say, what's this book about anyways, Pika-chan?"

"This one's about water and ice magic, with some air spells thrown in. They work best on water and ice pokemon, but I think you could try on Storm." Pika-chan told him.

"What if the spell backfires?" Ash asked nervously.

"Well, it shouldn't, because if it did, Storm would just faint and nothing bad would happen. No severe side effects, such as nausea, vomiting, headaches, or premature births." Pika-chan reassured him. "Besides, Charlotte wouldn't give you anything dangerous on _purpose_."

"Well, that's reassuring." Ash muttered. "I guess I'll try." He flipped the book open. There was a table of contents, listing spells from easiest (level 1) to most difficult (level 100) to flat out impossible without more than six sorcerers working together (level 255).

* * *

"Let's see, at level 1, we have Heal and Soap Bubble?" Ash blinked at the second entry. "Soap Bubble?!"

"In case you ever are stuck out in the wild and you _really_ need to do your laundry." Pika-chan explained.

(I've heard of one of those.) Sunny said, from her spot by the door where she was keeping watch for the Chanseys. (Heal is actually extremely weak. From what I've heard, it can't heal more than 3 HP. However, if you're really powerful, you can extend Heal to 100 HP. They have stronger regeneration techniques at higher levels.)

"Okay. I might as well try." Ash said. "Do I have any dirty laundry?"

_Plenty._ A new voice said. Ash looked down to see Oddish walking around on the floor.

"When did you get out, Oddish?"

_Nurse Joy let all of us out. Dragonair and Ponyta are out in the habitat room, since they wanted to exercise, and Butterfree's in the bathroom. Skymew's still in her ball. Nurse Joy didn't see that one, for obvious reasons._

"Well, okay." Ash said. Oddish retrieved the Laundry for him. Ash looked at the laundry and focused his chi on it. * I want them to get clean, I want them to get clean, I want them to get clean! *

A small soap bubble formed out of midair and landed on the laundry pile, before popping and drenching everything with soapy water.

* * *

"Hey, it worked!" Ash said.

"Partially." Pika-chan said. "Now try and scrub the clothes."

Ash closed his eyes and concentrated his energy again. * Come on; start scrubbing! I want you to scrub! Clean yourselves! *

After five minutes, Ash finally opened his eyes. He was greeted with a pile of soapy, but now clean, laundry.

"Woohoo! It worked!" Ash said.

"Yep. Now if there was a way to dry and sort them…" A calculating look began to manifest itself in Pika-chan's eyes. Ash noticed immediately.

"Pika-chan, I'm tired." Ash said. "I need food!"

"Well, in that case, I'll have to do it myself." Pika-chan said. "Don't be surprised to find some static electricity in your clothes tomorrow. At least you managed to improve Soap bubble to level three." Pika-chan floated down to the floor and began stacking the clothes, while Sunny used her fire breath, a trick she had learned from Jasper, to dry them without scorching the clothes.

"Thanks." Ash said. Just as they finished, the door opened and a Chansey came in, carrying a tray of food.

* * *

_This is for you_. The Chansey said, putting the tray on the small table over Ash's bed. _I'll bring up poke chow for your pokemon in a bit_. She bustled downstairs to fetch more trays, while Ash stared at the food.

"It doesn't look that good…"

"I'll try." Pika-chan said, spooning up some pale, watery… soup. She swallowed thoughtfully, before shaking her head.

"Not good." She nibbled at the limp carrots, the chicken chunk, and the white bread slices also.

(How bad is it?) Sunny asked.

_Yeah! Is there a problem?_ Oddish seconded.

"The food's not so good." Ash said, taking a few bites himself. "Boy, I wish I had some real food. Actually, forget what I said. It tastes flat-out terrible! What is this stuff? Freeze-dried poke chow dunked in water?"

Todd looked sympathetic. "I hate hospital food too, but we don't have any canned food left."

"Oh yeah… forgot to stop by the grocery store earlier." Ash said mournfully.

* * *

(Is there a problem?) Skymew asked, as the black-and-white poke ball opened without warning. Ash jumped.

"Hi, Skymew. Do you know if there is a food store around here?"

(I'm sorry. I have never been to this city before and this is an unfamiliar environment.) Skymew told Ash.

"It's okay." Ash said. "Say, Skymew, are there any spells that are related to food? That would really come in handy right now."

(Plenty!) Skymew reassured him. (You can also use the fruit basket in there.) She pointed to his backpack.

(What can a fruit basket do?) Sunny inquired.

(It's a magical fruit basket! It's not as good as a magic table or a magic tablecloth, but the basic principle is the same. All you have to do is tell the basket what you want and you'll have it in front of you. There's just one problem. It only provides vegetarian meals.)

"How do you know this?" Pika-chan voiced her own doubts.

(Oh, that's easy!) Skymew said. (Char had this fruit basket, but she only used it once. She decided that she would rather risk the Cauldron of Plenty malfunctioning or something like that. She doesn't like vegetables very much, giggle.)

* * *

"Well in that case…" Ash said. Skymew retrieved the fruit basket for him, after digging through his backpack for a few minutes. Ash put his face down next to it and said softly, "I would like three peanut butter and peach jelly sandwiches, four apples, a container of chocolate milk, and two dozen vanilla cookies."

A small wisp of gray smoke drifted from the basket. When it vanished, everything Ash had asked for was lying on a clean blue-and-white checked tablecloth.

"Woah. Good service!" Ash said, impressed.

(See?) Skymew said. Ash was finishing his lunch when Chansey appeared again, with bowls of poke chow for the pokemon. The pokémon all ate up, but accepted the chocolate bits Ash put in their bowls. Even Skymew seemed to be enjoying her food. Todd also tried some of the poke chow, but turned green and spat it out minutes later.

"Blech! How can pokemon stand to eat this?"

"Here, Todd." Ash said, handing him a sandwich and an apple. He tossed another apple to Pika-chan, who munched happily. "You know, this could come in handy."

(Magic is usually handy.) Sunny said. (After all, if it weren't useful, why would we need it?)

"Good point." Ash said. When all of the pokemon had finished their lunches, including Dragonair and Ponyta, who had been brought to the room so they could keep their trainer company, Ash had Ponyta bring him his backpack.

* * *

"I've been trying to find the spell that increases the carrying capacity of a poke belt." Ash said. "I've been having suspicions about Professor Oak, but before I can prove anything, I don't want to endanger anyone by sending them to him. But Pika-chan told me that now I count as having seven poke balls because Skymew is adapting to this reality quickly."

_I'm glad you care so much about us_. Butterfree said softly.

_Yep! I'm glad I don't have to leave you!_ Pidgey announced in her high voice. Some of the other pokemon smiled at the cute display of affection.

_Maybe you should check those magic books you just got?_ Dragonair suggested pleasantly. _It might help._

_Yeah! Why not?_ Ponyta asked, getting excited.

Ash turned to the others, who shrugged. It _was_ a good idea. But there were so many books! How was he supposed to find the right one?

"Try looking under 'pokemon'." Pika-chan suggested. Ash put down the blue leather-bound book and started rifling through his backpack. In a few moments, he had a thick, heavy book with a pink plastic cover. In elaborate gold script the words 'pokemon myths and legends' were written on the front.

"Okay…" Ash said, doubtfully. He flipped to the back to search the index. Soon, he discovered a 'enlarge' spell, as well as a 'shrink' spell.

"Well, the 'shrink' spell takes less energy, so I guess I'll try that." Ash said, after several particularly long moments of silence.

Don't worry about us! Sunny said cheerfully as she hopped into an empty poke ball. Go for it!

"Okay… here goes…" Ash said. He stared at the poke balls nervously. The Shrink spell was level eighteen, and he wasn't sure if he could do it. He locked eyes with the poke balls and began to try and force his chi through his eyeballs into the capsules. * Come on, shrink! I can't let professor Oak have any of my pokemon. Just shrink, please! I need to do this! *

Several agonizing moments passed, as nothing happened. Just as Ash was ready to give up, a white haze surrounded the poke balls. Ash quickly covered his eyes with his left hand. When the dizzy spots finally faded from his vision, he saw that the poke balls had shrunk to the size of peas.

"No way!" Ash said.

"Yes way." Pika-chan said, from his elbow. "I should say it worked. Quite well, in fact."

Ash smiled triumphantly, before he fainted again.

* * *

End Episode 21!

Comments and constructive criticism are accepted (of course!) Flames will be used to make toasted marshmallows. Yum!

Completed 10/03/02


	22. Fun in the water

Episode 22! Hey, I never knew I would get this far! Oh well. Surprise, surprise!

Disclaimer: Nintendo did not sell me pokemon. Therefore, I do not own it. Obviously! So you have no right to sue me. However, if you steal Destiny, or anything else of mine, you will pay!

Note: Ash is still stuck in bed after the Articuno encounter. *Sighs*

Tmp – Oops, you're right! Um, well, I guess that it just doesn't provide meat. *Sheepish grin* Mewtwo counts as a card, Mew doesn't. Don't worry; there are a couple more chapters before the final judgment. Yep, Ash can carry more than 6 now!

Ranma – you're right! Ash needs to learn some more self-control. Todd… well, I can't give away the plot, but most everybody else dislikes him…

Dawn – Don't worry, I'll keep writing! *Wink*

Hollow Shadows – thanx, but quit taking off your signed reviews please! It's happened twice already! And Shadow doesn't like it when her reviews drop from 60 to 59 or 66 to 65. I know it is you, so please discontinue this! You make shadow very sad. *Big shimmery teary eyes*

Episode 22: Fun in the water

* * *

Ash was lying in bed, idly watching some old videotapes of him catching pokémon cards. Apparently Todd had been carrying a portable T.V. as well as a video camera and blank tapes! It was amazing! As Ash watched himself capture the Dragonair card, a thought suddenly struck him in the face.

"Wait a minute! Shouldn't there still be a few more pokémon cards out there besides the big four, even if Gary did get some?"

"You're very perceptive." Pika-chan remarked. "The ones that haven't appeared yet won't appear until you capture Zapdos. Think of it as a test of skill."

"Say, isn't Zapdos one of your two main cards?" Ash asked.

"You're absolutely correct! Zapdos and Moltres, Lightning and Fire and flying, are the elements I control. Articuno and the other card go to the second guardian."

"So if I catch Zapdos, you'll get stronger?" Ash asked.

"Precisely. I will also be able to take my true form. There _is_ an extremely good reason why I'm known as the 'Eternal winged pikachu of greatness', you know!" Pika-chan said, preening.

Todd sweatdropped. Even if Pika-chan was a pokemon, she sure acted human a lot of the time.

* * *

"But enough chit-chat! You have to study some more!" Pika-chan said, dumping another spell book onto Ash's lap. Ash groaned.

"But Pika-chan! I'm still tired from the spells I did yesterday!"

"You have to practice them again! Your 'Flare' attack was way off. All you had to do was to light a candle!"

"I know, but it's so hard!" Ash said.

Pika-chan studied him. "Are you sure you're the same kid who excitedly released me from the seal of the pokemon book?"

* * *

Ash flushed. "I don't mean to be impertinent, but I _am_ tired." He sighed as he plopped down on the bed. * Even doing Level 2 and 3 spells tire me out… what's wrong? I was able to do the shrink spell, and that was on level eighteen! Am I getting weaker? What's wrong with me? *

"Maybe you're out of power." Todd suggested. He was reading a very interesting book titled 'Spell ingredients, resources, and general information'. Even if he wasn't a magician like Ash, the book was very interesting.

Pika-chan slapped herself on the forehead. "Of course! Why didn't I think of that? Here, Ash, take this." She pulled a wand out of his backpack and tossed it to him.

"What is this?" Ash asked, confused.

"This is a magic wand, obviously not as powerful as the one you use to capture pokemon cards. It is used to heal." Pika-chan said. "It's called the Wand of the Water Guardian, and it can create healing potions or just heal you outright." The wand was made out of twisted bronze, but at the top there was a three-pointed blue crystal, that shone like pure water, reflecting the light from the lamps set into the wall.

"Wow…" Ash said in awe.

"Don't be. There are about a thousand in all, scattered throughout the dimensions. There are some more in this dimension, but they're all buried in ancient ruins or in museums. Some of the other magic items are more common, like the Magic Berries."

Todd blinked, and turned back to his book. "I'm glad I could help."

* * *

"No problem! I'm so grateful that I'll wear a costume next time!" Ash said, his mouth taking off before his brain could process the thought. Todd's eyes lit up excitedly. Pika-chan restrained the urge to knock her Chosen over the head. He could be amazingly dense sometimes…

"Well in that case, I've got lots of them!" Todd said. He immediately began digging through his portable… closet.

"Ahem! Let us get back to the matter at hand!" Pika-chan said. She touched Ash with the wand. The crystal set in the top began to glow with white light. When it cleared, Ash felt a lot better.

"Phew! It only healed about 2/3 of your energy, but that's enough for now. We don't want to break it." Pika-chan said as she put the Wand back into Ash's backpack. "It regenerates itself, so we can use it every two hours."

"Cool." Ash said. He sat up and picked up the water book. "So, let's get started!"

* * *

"Hmm…" Pika-chan looked down. "You already know Soap Bubble, and we did go through Heal yesterday, so…"

"Bubble shield?" Ash asked. "Level 4."

"Try that then." Pika-chan said.

"But how can I breathe from inside a bubble?"

"That's not the _point_!" Pika-chan said. "Just try it!"

"O-okay." Ash said. Closing his eyes, he focused his power into a shield around himself. * Please work! * Soon, a shield of pale rainbow colors surrounded him.

"Hooray! You did it!" Pika-chan said, cheering.

Ash opened his eyes. "I did it! Yay!" He began to do a little dance. After a few minutes, the bubble fizzled out of existence and Ash fell onto the floor, landing on his head.

"Ow!"

Pidgey began to coo in her own language. Ash sighed. "Yes, I know that was stupid to do. But it was fun!"

* * *

Sunny was outside chasing Meowths. Hey, she was a canine pokemon, so it was a perfectly reasonable thing to do. From the howls coming from outside, the Meowths were the ones losing.

_How about if you try the spell for breathing underwater next?_ Storm asked in her normally soft voice. _Then, you could swim with me._

"That's a good idea." Ash said, picking up his book. "Let's see… there are six different spells for breathing underwater?! Oh well, I'll just do the easiest one."

"Level seven should be okay." Pika-chan announced.

"Let's head downstairs. There's a pool there." Todd said. "I do have an underwater camera. I designed some swimwear for you too!"

Ash sweatdropped. * No way! This guy is prepared for everything! But I did promise him that I'd wear a costume. *

"Okay, what did you make for me?" Ash asked. Todd reached into his backpack and produced a pair of dark blue swimming pants with a streak of silver down each side. It came with a pair of dark blue flippers, and a waterproof vest made out of silver PVC material.

"Hey, its not bad!" Pika-chan said. "Is there anything for me?" Pika-chan was give a pair of tiny flippers (also blue) and a scuba diving mask.

"There's a mask with your outfit, too, Ash." Todd said. "But since you're going to be trying to breathe underwater, maybe you shouldn't wear it."

"I'll take it. If the spell fails, I don't want to drown." Ash stated in a very serious tone.

Pika-chan shrugged, tossed him a couple of magic berries provided by the fruit basket, and munched a few herself, to ensure that they would not run out of magic.

* * *

The group slunk down to the pool. As it turned out, it was unnecessary, since Nurse Joy was too busy trying to take care of all the Junior trainers which had come in with hurt pokemon (apparently all of them had been trying to beat Surge), and the Chanseys were too busy to care that Ash out was out of bed *gasp! *

Ash jumped in the pool, since he was hot, wearing all of that material. (Authoress' note: Come on, he's wearing pants and a vest! It _is_ hot!) As soon as his head went underwater, he began to chant the words of the spell softly. In a minute, he had gill slits along the sides of his neck.

"Hey! What are these things?" Ash asked, panicking. Storm and the Dragonair card swam up next to him and stared.

_I believe those are gills._ Storm finally managed to stammer out, shocked. Ash began to panic.

"I have gills? Pika-chan! Help!" Pika-chan secured her glass mask and jumped in. She found her Chosen in the middle of the pool, but he wasn't turning blue or drowning, so she didn't know what the problem was.

"What is it?" Pika-chan asked. "Are you hurt or something?"

"I have gills!" Ash said.

Pika-chan tsked. "Of course you do! The first two spells give you gills, the third actually equips you with fins as well, the fourth gives you fins and a tail, the fifth turns you into an amphibious pokemon, but the sixth allows your lungs to breathe water. Didn't you read the description?"

Ash shook his head. Pika-chan whapped him, "You should have! Don't worry; nobody's going to notice them. Just practice your swimming and pretend that nothing is wrong. I'll have Butterfree look out for you. Or, if you want to train underwater with your pokemon, that's good too."

"Okay." Ash summoned his wand and called out all of his water pokemon. They spent several hours training, before Ash got tired. Storm pulled him out of the pool, clucking disapprovingly.

* * *

_You shouldn't have overstressed yourself, Ash! You're not enough supposed to be out of bed! _She admonished.

_She's right!_ The Dragonair card seconded. _How are you going to explain to Nurse Joy?_

"I guess I'll just make a _very_ ambiguous comment." Ash said, as he hopped into a bathroom and began peeling off his costume. It wasn't very aesthetically pleasing, but at least it was waterproof and kept him warm.

Todd shut down his video camera. Ash exhaled noisily as he watched through a crack in the door.

"Does he have to video tape me every time? At least he could give me some moments of anonymity." Ash sighed.

When he was again dressed in his light green pajamas, he tiptoed his way back up to his room. Sunny and Skymew were there, playing cards on the floor.

(Hi!) Starmew said. (Did you have fun swimming?)

"Well, it was very good exercise." Ash said truthfully. "I'm sick of being stuck in bed with nothing to do."

(Nurse Joy is going to bring you dinner soon. She'll probably want to take a look at you, too.) Sunny said.

Ash was about to climb into bed when he remembered something.

* * *

"Ack! I still have to shower!" He headed into the bathroom and took a nice, warm, twenty-minute shower. He emerged a few minutes later wrapped in a dark red bathrobe.

(I'll get your clothes.) Sunny said, as she loped over to his backpack and pulled the flap up. (Is there anything you want in particular?)

"Not really." Ash admitted. Todd had gone outside to purchase new batteries for his video camera. Pika-chan was busy raiding the kitchen, and from the shouts coming from downstairs, had been caught in the act.

Sunny pulled out a pair of blue jeans, clean underwear (Hehehe), white socks, and a dark green t-shirt. However, she also brought him a pair of golden bracelets. Ash blinked in surprise.

(What are these for?) He asked, still not confident with his telepathic skills.

"They increase strength. They'll help you feel better."

"Thanks, Sunny." Ash said. Then, he blinked. "Were you talking in human just now?"

(No, why?) Sunny asked.

"Must have been a fluke then." Ash said. He ruffled her fur and put the bracelets on over his dark blue gloves. Then, he flicked open his cell phone.

"I guess I'll call mom now…"

* * *

Delilah smiled when her phone rang. She knew it had to be Ash. Giovanni looked up from where he was sitting next to her and smiled knowingly.

"Hello."

"Hi, mom!" Ash said, turning the screen on his cell phone on. "I'm still in bed, but I'm feeling better now!"

"That's good, dear." Delilah told him. "I hope you get better soon. Its probably all that stress getting to you."

"Probably, mom." Ash said. "Thanks for praying for me."

"You're welcome, dear. So, how is your pokemon journey going?"

"Pretty well, actually." Ash told her without any antagonism in his voice, since he was talking to his mom and not professor Oak or Gary.

"Well, I hope you come home soon. I miss you very much!"

"Me too, mom!" Ash said. He blew her a kiss before turning the phone off. Giovanni smiled charmingly at Delilah.

"Ash?"

"Yes." Delilah said. "So, are we still doing our dinner date tonight?"

"Of course!" Giovanni reassured her. "There's this charming restaurant in Pewter. Shall we go?" He extended his hand. Delilah took it, and the two of them walked out to the car.

* * *

End Episode 22!

* * *

I used 5 SAT I words for this chapter! I guess its all going to my head now… AAHHH! SATS are coming up! *Shadow runs around in panic* Anyways, please review! Flames will be used to forge myself a Wand of the Water Guardian, so I can recuperate from future injuries…

Completed 10/10/02


	23. Revolutions and Revelations

Episode 23! Oh yeah!

Disclaimer: Shadow does not own pokemon. Shadow only owns Charlotte, Destiny, new pokemon, the card/key spells and chants…

Note: Technically, as the authoress, I could keep the weather as spring/summer all the time, since most of the episodes take place in those environments, but summer is going to end soon.

Ranma – yes, I know! I'm still trying to figure out whom to cast as Eriol. As a result, he should not appear for a while. And yes, I meant Skymew. Oops! Anyways, thank you! You're the only one who caught that! *Wink*

Thunder mouse pikachu – Hmm… well, I can't give away the plot, can I? But it could be either one… yes, Ash freaks out when very bizarre things happen. That's part of the charm!

Dawn the Espeon – Hi! Glad you reviewed! And I think your CCS fic is pretty good right now, the way it is.

Ihire – wow, I can't believe you caught that! Stupid Microsoft word spell check… anyways, thanx for reviewing!

Seishikitty – I'll try! Thanx for reviewing!

Episode 23: Revolutions and Revelations

* * *

Pika-chan was hopping on the bed, but Ash was not paying much attention to this fact. * Yes! I can get out of bed! * Ash thought happily. Nurse Joy was giving him instructions, but Ash was tuning her out. He was too excited.

"And remember not to overstress yourself." Joy finished. "Your mom sent you these clothes, since you only packed summer clothes and it is going to start getting colder soon." Ash was given a package wrapped in sky-blue paper.

"Thanks, Nurse Joy." Ash said. "Do you have a video phone downstairs? I have to call Professor Oak."

"Of course." Joy said, smiling pleasantly as she led him downstairs. Ash nodded his thanks.

* * *

"Ring, ring!"

"Who is it?" Professor Oak asked as he picked up his phone. "Ah, Ash, its you! You haven't called much."

"Hi, Professor." Ash said. He held out his vest. "Look, I have 3 badges already!"

Professor Oak sipped his tea and nodded. "Good, that means you're still ahead of the other two trainers. But you haven't sent me any pokemon at all!"

"I'm trying to catch them, but it _is_ hard!" Ash admitted.

"Well, work harder! How am I supposed to complete the pokédex at this rate?" Oak complained.

Ash nervously fingered a poke ball in his pocket. "How about if I just transfer them to you now?"

"Very well, go to that computer over there in the corner of the pokemon center. You can store pokemon there, and I want you to send me the pokemon you're not going to carry with you. I'll be expecting them."

"Okay." Ash said. "Bye!" He turned off the radio and headed to the machine. He turned to the two pokemon.

* * *

"Are you sure you want to do this?" He asked in a soft voice. The two pokemon cards; Vaporeon and Pidgeot, respectively, nodded their heads nervously.

(Don't worry about us. If there's any danger, we can teleport out.)

"All right then." Ash placed his poke balls in the machine, pressed the button, and watched them vanish. He sighed. There really was no evidence that Professor Oak was a bad scientist, or mad, or possibly deranged, but he just didn't feel like handing over his pokemon to Oak. So he decided to try a test run first. If there were no problems, he would transfer some of his other pokémon over.

When Ash finished, he went back to his room to pick up his supplies and Todd, who was currently glued to the T.V. screen.

* * *

"Are you sure its okay?" Pika-chan asked for what seemed to Ash like the thousandth time.

"Pika-chan, they volunteered for this job, knowing that it was potentially dangerous. I would hope that if they got into trouble, they would be able to escape." Ash said patiently.

"I know, but still… what if he tries to kill them?"

"Pika-chan! Don't be so morbid! I'm sure they'll be fine." Ash said in a falsely cheerful voice. Then, he continued in a lower tone. "And they're quite powerful cards, remember? They could easily take him on."

Pika-chan sighed and smoothed her ruffled fur. * Maybe it's just my nerves… but Ash doesn't trust him either. It's so confusing! *

Ash finished packing and turned to his photographer.

* * *

"Hey, Todd, are you ready?!"

"Coming!" Todd said, running over. "I went shopping and got some more blank tapes and stuff."

"I still need to get food." Ash reminded him. "So lets hit the general store."

"Sounds good to me." Todd seconded. "We need to stock up on canned food. It's a pretty long walk to Celadon. Usually, most trainers just go through Cerulean and then through Rock Tunnel, but that involves passing through Lavender Town and you know that the place is infested with ghost-type pokemon. Or, we could just go to Fuchsia and take the bike path to Celadon-."

"Todd, I don't have a bike." Ash reminded him.

"Right! So we'll just take the mountain trails then! It will take longer, but we'll have time to admire all the scenery."

"And catch more pokemon!" Pika-chan said cheerfully.

"Right! Let's go!" The three of them headed off towards the mountains.

* * *

Professor Oak's laboratory…

Oak gleefully rubbed his hands in anticipation. * I wonder what pokemon Ash has caught. Probably only some Rattatas or something like that, but at least they can be used for basic experiments. Something more exotic I could use to test the Aquaflorin virus, see how it affects water-types as opposed to normal or bug… *

When the machine pinged, announcing that the cargo had arrived, Oak was surprised to see only two poke balls lying there at the bottom of the machine.

"Well, this is a setback, but I can probably breed them against Ditto. Wonder what they are?"

Two minutes later…

"A Pidgeot and a Vaporeon! At least the kid hasn't been slacking off! All right then, Giovanni will want to know about this, I had to keep him informed on the doings of the Ketchum kid, maybe he's thinking adoption? Oh well, the Vaporeon will do for the Aquaflorin, and I'll use the Pidgeot to breed with the one Gary sent in."

(Note: No, Giovanni is not evil. But Oak is. Confused? It will be explained later. After all, Giovanni is not authorizing Oak's illegal experiments.)

* * *

If Pidgeot could have blanched, she would have. Instead, she settled for looking at Oak reproachfully. Of course, he being on an ego high, did not even notice. He had run off to prepare the injection for Vaporeon. * I'm so lucky! Hahahaha! Soon, all will bow before the great Professor Oak! *

Pidgeot turned to her fellow pokemon card. (Do you _think_ he suspects anything out of the ordinary at all?)

Vaporeon shrugged, her tinkling laughter filling Pidgeot's head. (He is foolish. Most of them that walk this earth are. Master is a rare exception, wouldn't you say? At least he uses his mind.)

(At least he isn't controlled by his feelings, you mean?) Pidgeot retorted. (But it doesn't seem right. Even our former mistress had feelings.)

(My dear Pidgeot, you forget one thing. Remember how our mistress planned this out? There is something special about him. We'll figure it out soon enough, don't worry about it.)

Pidgeot sighed. (Perhaps I am just too practical.)

(You should know him better, anyways. You're one of his favorites!) Vulpix said. (Don't worry about it!)

(I know. *Sigh*)

* * *

Further conversation was put on hold when Oak reappeared, carrying a half-filled vial of a blue-greenish, murky liquid as well as a syringe. He pressed the release button on Vaporeon's poke ball, and injected her in the tail before she had time to relax, then she was immediately turned to red light and sucked into the poke ball. After he had finished this operation, he turned to Pidgeot.

"Come with me." It was not a question. Pidgeot followed. Soon, she found herself alone in a room with several other Pidgeots, who all eyed her curiously. There were also many Pidgeys and Pidgeottos.

_New flock member, eh?_ One asked.

The leader, who was slightly larger than most Pidgeots, nodded its head.

_Pretty one, too. Where are you from? _

Pidgeot decided to lie, since she couldn't tell them that she was a card. _Around Viridian Forest, why?_

_Sometimes, family members come here. But none of us are from Viridian Forest. Most of us were bred here, or we are from the Southern Islands._

_Oh._ Pidgeot settled down next to another Pidgeot, who eyed her appreciatively. * She looks strong, so she'll probably make a good mother. * With that thought in mind, he began putting the moves on her, so to speak.

Pidgeot largely ignored him. She would leave soon anyways, so it was no use getting involved.

* * *

The trio of Ash, Pika-chan, and Todd rode through the mountains. Ash was on Ponyta's back, while Todd's Kangaskhan didn't mind carrying him. They had taken an abandoned trail to the mountains, so they hadn't run into any trainers yet.

(I don't think there are any trainers out here, Ash.) Sunny told him.

(I do not think so either.) Skymew seconded. She had perched herself on Ash's head and was now trying to get comfortable.

"Too bad, I was hoping for someone to battle." Ash said. He turned to Todd. "Hey, do you want to stop for lunch yet?"

"No, I am not hungry yet." Todd said. "Do you really believe there are wild pokémon out here, Ash? The area seems to have been cleansed of wildlife completely. There are not even any birds or insects…"

"Tired yet, girl?" Ash asked Ponyta.

_No way! This is just a little jaunt! If I got tired this easily, we would never have made it to Viridian city in one piece! _Ponyta replied.

Ash laughed. "Just wondering, that's all."

* * *

"Okay, let's see." Todd pulled out his binoculars to see if he could spot any pokemon. After half an hour, he was getting discouraged, when he suddenly glimpsed a dust cloud approaching in their direction. Upon closer inspection, the dust cloud was revealed to be a group of running primate pokemon.

"Ash! Look! Some Mankeys and Primeapes are heading this way!" Todd said excitedly.

Ash grinned. "Not only that, Todd. One of them is the Primeape card." He held his key out to begin the spell, but Todd had jumped at the mention of a card.

"Why didn't you say so earlier?" Todd asked, as he dragged Ash behind a tree. Soon, the card captor was dressed in khakis and a white shirt, with a straw safari hat atop his head, and brown boots. He was still wearing his dark blue fingerless gloves though. They clashed with his outfit hideously.

"Key that hides the power of the elements, reveal your true from before me! Your master Ashura under the seal of contract commands you, Release!" Instantly, the key responded to his frantic summons and changed into the wand.

Ash was about to send out the Pidgeot card when he remembered that she had been sent to Professor Oak's for testing.

"Darn. Forgot about that. Oh well, in that case, I'll use Kadabra!" The psychic pokemon blinked as it materialized.

"Kadabra, use Confusion against the Primeape card!" Kadabra nodded his head, and a dark blue glow surrounded one of the Primeapes, lifting it up into the air. This was followed by a Psywave attack, which was enough to knock the Primeape out cold.

"Great job, Kadabra!" Ash said proudly. "Return to your true form, pokémon card!"

Primeape didn't even have enough energy left to struggle before it was sucked into a blue card. Pika-chan tossed Ash the pen, which he used to write his name on the card with.

* * *

"Well, that went well." Todd remarked as he shut his video camera. "You know, Ash, I never noticed this before, but the khaki color brings out the highlights in your hair."

Ash shrugged. He didn't mind this outfit that much, so he simply re-mounted Ponyta. Then, they began riding off towards the next city.

"Seriously! You look good in khaki!"

"But I don't like khaki." Ash said patiently, as if he were talking to a three-year old that needed instruction.

Todd got all teary-eyed. "You don't like my costume? I labored over it for so long!"

Pika-chan sighed a mushroom cloud.

Ash decided not to say anything else. He nudged Ponyta and she shot off like a rocket.

"Hey! Wait for me!" Todd called as he urged his Kangaskhan to follow

* * *

End Episode 23! Comments and Constructive Criticism are nectar and ambrosia to an authoress, while flames will be donated to freezing people in Antarctica.

I need 6 reviews before I post the next chapter! This will be standard for the rest of the chapters too!

Completed 10/16/02


	24. in which impeding disaster is approachin...

Episode 24! Aren't all of you so happy! Anyways, right now, I'm studying for Sat II's and it sucks! But what can I do? I wonder how many out there can sympathize… and for those of you who have no clue what SAT's are or don't have to worry about them, all I can say is, lucky duck! Who knew my vacation would wind up like this? *Sighs *

* * *

Ash: Hi!

Phantomness: Hey! What are you doing here?

Ash: Well, this is my story, right?

Phantomness: Actually, I write a lot of stories about you, but this _is_ the base version. I wonder why I didn't write it first…

Ash: Well, Anyways, thanks to all of you who did bother to review. I'm really grateful, because it keeps her writing!

Phantomness: Yeah, well, right. Flames are not appreciated, but I'll keep writing no matter what!

Ash: Anyways, I hope you're enjoying the tale. I sure am!

Pika-chan: Of course you are! It's all about you!

Ash: Hehehe…

Phantomness: Anyways, please tell me what you think about the story, O.K.?

* * *

Disclaimer: Pokemon is in no way mine. However, Destiny belongs to yours truly, as does Charlotte, Pika-chan, Vulpix-chan, the whole pokemon card idea… etc. I actually ran across an author who tried to claim the idea 1 year after I published my first version of CCA. Bad! If I find you stealing anything, I have no qualms about giving you a piece of my mind. You have been warned.

Dawn the Espeon: Don't worry, Pidgeot and Vaporeon will be O.K.!

Nogard – thanx! And Thanx for reviewing Dragon's tears too!

Tmp – Vaporeon and Pidgeot will solve this problem on their own! Yes, Oak is mad. I don't like him very much. Yes, the former card master was a girl. Oh yeah, and about Dragon's tears… Ash isn't gay. It will be revealed in the sequel and also in the prequel. *Wink* Guess which one's the girl!

Ran – yeah, Giovanni could be good or bad. I'll keep writing! Thanx for reviewing for Dragon's tears, a prequel will appear soon!

Hollow Shadows – Yes, Ash looks good with highlights! Since Giovanni's thinking about adoption, he probably will wind up adopting Ash. Giovanni's not Ash's biological father though, go read 'Destiny's Early life' to see who it really is.

Ihire – thanx, shadow will keep updating! *Glomps new reviewer*

Notes: Couple of days after part 23

Episode 24: In which impeding disaster is approaching.

* * *

"Gotcha!" Gary said triumphantly as he faced the fallen Jynx card. The mirror gleamed brightly from his hands. Gary smiled his trademark grin and turned to his cheerleaders.

"Gary, Gary, he's the best! We know he'll triumph over the rest!" They called in unison.

"This is way easy. C'mon, Ash, I wonder what you're doing now. Can't you see that it's a losing battle? Just admit that I'm better and you won't get hurt." Gary said triumphantly. "I bet he's wandering around, lost, again."

"Gary? Can we leave this forest now?" Emerald asked. "I'm getting nervous."

"Okay, girls! Now that the job is done, why don't we go get some ice cream or something?" Gary asked.

"Yeah!" Ruby said. She was the unofficial leader of the group, plus she was Gary's favorite.

"Let's go!" Gary said. He headed to his car, and soon they were out of there. * Ash, you can't win. I won't let you win! I got Kangaskhan two days ago, and I'm sure not letting you win this! *

* * *

Ash kept getting a prickling feeling at the back of his neck, the feeling that he wasn't alone. Maybe it was just his nerves, but Pika-chan told him that there was probably a pokemon card nearby.

"Which ones are left?" Ash asked.

"Hmm, Jynx, Zapdos, Moltres, the other elemental, Blastoise, Magneton, Kangaskhan, Dugtrio, Machamp, Snorlax, and Arcanine." Pika-chan said, ticking off on her fingers. "I'm not completely sure which ones Gary has, though, so I can't be sure. But those should be the ones."

"Pika-chan!"

"Well, let me check the book." Pika-chan said. She floated over to the book lying in Ash's backpack. After a while, she returned.

"Jynx and Kangaskhan have been caught already, but I found out that besides the ones I mentioned, the secret card is still out there."

"The secret card?" Ash's eyes lit up.

"You don't get to see it until later, though." Pika-chan told him. "So don't worry about it, okay?"

"Um guys?" Todd asked. "I hate to interrupt, but I don't think that there's supposed to be a Machamp standing in our path…"

Ash turned around. "Oh!" Pika-chan sweatdropped.

"Release!" Ash said, catching the wand. "So, what should I use against Machamp?"

Todd had retreated to a tree. He was now videotaping with zest and zeal.

Ash was about to complain, when he realized that he wasn't stuck wearing one of Todd's customized outfits. Todd realized it too but it was far too late to change.

* * *

"Okay, I think I'll use… Vaporeon!" Ash said. He was about to summon the card when…

"Um, Ash? Vaporeon is still at Oak's." Pika-chan reminded him. "You can't just summon her back now."

"Oh. Well, in that case, I might as well try this card! Articuno, go!"

Articuno charged out with a loud battle cry. The poor Machamp didn't stand a chance. It was frozen before it realized what had hit it. When Articuno finished, she preened for Ash.

"Thanks, Articuno." Ash said. "Return to your true from, pokemon card!" Machamp got all swirly-eyed before it capitulated and returned to card form. Ash gave Todd a peace sign.

"Woohoo! Good but short." Todd said, putting away his recording device. "So." He said, in a suddenly austere voice. "Do you know when the next one will show its face?"

"Soon, I assume." Pika-chan said. "Near the end, they arrive faster and faster."

Ash nodded. "I see. I seem to remember hearing about this a long time ago, but my memories are very fuzzy."

"Maybe your heightened powers are opening a hidden doorway?" Pika-chan suggested.

"Pika-chan, you're too practical."

"Maybe I am sometimes, but if you're not practical, someone else has to do it, right?"

Ash's reply was a bag of Oreos flung at Pika-chan. The guardian easily dodged and began to munch in contentment.

"Thanks for the snack!" Even if her Chosen could be dizzy at times, he was still kind-hearted, so it wasn't that bad.

* * *

At Oak's labs…

Vaporeon backed away from Oak as he approached her with another needle. * Sheesh, what is he trying to do, kill me? If I were a normal pokemon I would be long dead by now! Luckily, the card energy neutralizes poison pretty well… *

"Subject shows high levels of tolerance to Aquaflorin virus." Oak muttered into a recording device. "Over 30 CC have been administered with no ill results, in 2.5 CC doses. Subject shows no signs of infection as of yet."

Vaporeon sniffed. * Yeah, yeah, just brag to yourself, annoying human. I hope Master gives you what you deserve. You are no scientist at all; you're just a torturer! Don't think I haven't seen what you did to those poor Rattatas. *

After a struggle, Oak managed to spray Vaporeon with a heavy dose of sleep powder, prior to another injection of Aquaflorin.

"This one is very strong. Maybe I won't have to explain the death of a pokemon to Ash after all." Oak mused. "But the Pidgeot could be problematic, I might have to send it to a breeding center."

* * *

Pidgeot had made friends with some of the other birds, but she had no interest in mating whatsoever. This made Oak rather angry, but he did not have much experience with pokemon breeding, so he was rather clueless about the process.

Oak approached the enclosure, with a bottle of special spray recommended by a reputable breeding center located in one of the Orange islands. It was supposed to be used on reluctant pokemon. Oak sprayed the area generously and left, expecting results soon.

Pidgeot was unaffected by the spray, but the others weren't. She finally got annoyed with the advances of the dominant male and reverted to pure card energy form. When the spray wore off later, she resumed pokemon form. * I hope Ash gets us out of here soon. This man is horrible! *

The Pidgeots were all so ashamed that they left her alone. Even Pidgeots had their honor, after all.

* * *

Ash and Todd were having a picnic lunch of chicken salad sandwiches and orange juice when something suddenly crashed into their tablecloth, scattering food everywhere.

(Hey! Who did that?) Sunny demanded angrily, as she tried to wipe mayonnaise off her face.

_I don't know._ Storm said, sadly staring at the remains of what had been tuna-flavored poke chow and a plastic bowl.

Ash started brushing poke chow and sandwich bits off his jeans and t-shirt. "Well, let's see what it is. It headed off into the bushes."

"Skymew, I choose you!" Skymew popped out, looking excited. She had never been in a battle before, since Ash feared that trainers would try to capture or steal her. *Sweatdrop. * She did look like a rare pokemon…

"Skymew, which moves do you know?"

(Well, I'm a multiple type. I know Psychic, Psybeam, Bubble Shield, Surf, Psywave, Bubblebeam, Ice Beam, Tail Attack, Water fall, Spark, Teleport, and Fly. But that's not all yet.)

"Cool." Ash said. "Why don't you use Bubblebeam?" Todd had retreated to a boulder, and had pulled out his video camera.

A stream of concentrated bubbles flew out in all directions. One finally hit a target, judging from the loud yelp.

* * *

"Hey!" A voice said angrily. When they stumbled out, Ash was surprised to see that it was none other than Team Rocket!

"We were having our break!" Amy complained.

Ash sweatdropped.

"But since you're here…" Jake said.

"Prepare for trouble!"

"And make it double!"

"To protect the world from devastation!"

"To unite all peoples within our nation!"

"To denounce the evils of truth and love!"

"To extend our reach to the stars above!"

"Amy!"

"Jake!"

"Team Rocket blasts off at the speed of light!"

"Surrender now and prepare to fight!"

"Ninetales!"

* * *

Ash sweatdropped again. "Well, we hadn't seen them in a while. They were bound to show up sometime."

"Ninetales, go for the rare pokemon!" Jake commanded. Ninetales charged Skymew, who teleported out of the way, before blasting Ninetales with Surf. Ninetales immediately began to try and dog paddle its way out of the attack.

"No use." Amy said angrily. "Slowpoke, go!"

"Diglett, show them that we won't lose!" Jake commanded, rather foolishly, but hey, it was worth a try. Skymew caught Diglett in mid-dig with a well-aimed Psybeam, sending the poor thing off into space.

Ash smirked. "Pika-chan, you can take care of the Slowpoke, right?"

"Of course!" Pika-chan said, as she Thunderpunched the unsuspecting psy pokemon. "After all, I can beat it easily."

Amy gulped as Slowpoke went flying into her and she went flying into Jake and Ninetales.

"Looks like Team Rocket's blasting off again!" There was a *ping*, and then the group vanished.

"Ah, nothing like Team Rocket to relieve tension." Todd said as he pocketed his video camera. "That ending pose was great, Ash."

Ash blinked. "Oh." * Well, of course Todd would be videotaping this! Get a grip, Ash! At least you didn't have to wear a costume! *

* * *

"I like your outfit." Todd said. Ash shrugged. He was dressed in jeans and a blue-and-white league jacket over a dark blue shirt, with his spiky hair tucked neatly under his old, scruffy league hat.

"Thanks." Ash said dryly.

Skymew landed next to Ash's head. (So, how did I do?)

"You did great, girl." Ash said, stroking her head. "Would you like some lime flavored rare candy?"

(Sure!) Skymew said. She chomped the candy happily.

Ash turned to Sunny and Ponyta, who had been watching the one-sided battle from the sidelines. "Are you two tired yet?"

(Oh no!) Sunny said. (I still have plenty of energy.)

_I can walk for a while longer._ Ponyta said. _It's not night yet, we don't have to stop and rest, do we?_

"Nope." Ash said. He turned to Todd. "Well, shall we go?"

"Yes, let's." Todd said. They kept walking towards Celadon city.

* * *

End Episode 24!

C&CC appreciated. Flames will be donated to poor flameless Flareons.

Completed 10/22/02


	25. in which oak's evil plans are revealed

Episode 25! Woohoo! Thanks to those who did review! I can't believe I got this far!

Disclaimer: Alas, Nintendo is not going to relinquish Pokemon to my possession. Oh well… I still have Destiny, Charlotte, Pika-chan and Vulpix-chan; so don't steal anything that's mine!

Notes: ** thoughts, () is used for telepathy, and italics is poke speech.

Episode 25: In which Oak's evil plans are revealed

* * *

"Are we there yet?" Pika-chan asked.

Ash sweatdropped. "No, Pika-chan, we have not reached Celadon yet, so we cannot replenish your supply of candy at the moment, so please bear with me."

"But I haven't had any candy for _four_ days!" Pika-chan whined. Lack of sugar was making her edgy.

"Sorry." Ash said unrepentantly. Todd was busy taking picture of a Bellsprout with a small pink dot on its head he had discovered by the roadside.

Pika-chan sighed and plopped back onto Ponyta's back.

_Is it that bad?_ Ponyta asked. Pika-chan's eyes went all big and teary.

"Of course its bad." She said sadly.

"Is there any other route to Celadon that might possibly be faster?" Ash asked Todd.

"I don't know. Riding Ponyta is already a very fast mode of transportation." Todd stated.

"Oh well." Ash sighed. "I wonder if there are any wild pokemon out here…" He closed his eyes and began searching. As his magic was stronger now, it only took two minutes to locate the energy signature of a pokemon card.

* * *

"Hey Pika-chan! Did you sense that?"

Pika-chan sat upright, ears twitching. "Yes. I think its Snorlax. The card is currently inactive at the moment. Probably sleeping off its most recent meal."

Ash blanched when he remembered how much a Snorlax could eat. "I see…"

"Why don't you use this opportunity to train your real pokemon?" Pika-chan suggested. "I'm sure it would help them."

"Okay! I'll train Oddish!" Ash said, sending out the little walking grass pokemon. Oddish blinked cutely up at its trainer.

"Hi, Oddish. Have you been bored inside the poke ball?"

_It wasn't that bad._ Oddish told him.

"That's good. Do you want to train?"

_ That is fine with me._ Oddish said. _I do wish to strengthen myself._

"Great! Let's go find that Snorlax card!" Ash said. He was about to dash off when Todd stopped him.

"Costume!"

Pika-chan sighed at the expression on her Chosen's face. He looked horrified.

"Well?" Todd said hopefully, holding on up. Ash sighed and succumbed to the excited photographer's request.

When Ash emerged from a bush a few minutes later, he was wearing dark red silk pants and a dark blue silk blowsy shirt. Around his waist was a black leather belt with silver-rimmed white gems studded on it. He also had black boots, black elbow-length gloves, and a silver circlet with a dark blue gem in the center.

"Can I go now?" Ash pleaded.

"Lead the way!" Todd said cheerfully, taking no notice of the poor card captor's discomfort.

* * *

"Key that hides the power of the elements, reveal your true form before me! Your master under the seal of contract Ashura commands you, Release!" The golden magic circle formed under Ash's feet as his staff appeared. Ash smiled at the familiar weight of the wand within his hands.

"Oddish, are you ready?"

Oddish gave Ash a nod with its leaves. Ash grinned. "Okay, now let's do this the easy way. Magic to cards, cards to key!" A blue beam shot out of his staff and into the surrounding leafy canopy. Ash immediately jumped onto Fearow's back and began flying through the trees, carrying Oddish with him.

Since Todd had no way of following them, he was unable to videotape until Ash reappeared. He slowly hacked his way through the thorny vines until he finally located the clearing where Snorlax was… snoring.

Ash landed a few moments later, carrying Oddish. The Snorlax was still off in dreamland.

* * *

"Well, Oddish. You know what to do." Ash told him.

Oddish waddled over and sprayed Snorlax with a heavy dose of poisonpowder. It didn't even stir.

Pika-chan blinked. "Well, Snorlax is a very heavy sleeper. Perhaps it does not wish to battle you."

"Maybe." Ash said, not sounding convinced. "Well, if its not going to fight us, we can take care of it, can't we? Solarbeam, Oddish."

Oddish charged, but Snorlax still didn't awaken. Two Solarbeams later, Snorlax finally yawned and opened its eyes.

"Now!" Pika-chan said.

"Return to your true form, pokémon card!" Ash commanded. Snorlax simply fell backwards and reverted to card form before its massive bulk hit the ground.

"Well, that was easy." Todd said from the rock he was videotaping on. He would have said more; only Oddish began to glow brightly.

* * *

"Yay! It's evolving!" Ash said happily. When the light cleared, Oddish was still Oddish, but like Pidgey, it had unusual markings. There were purple abstract designs on its leaves.

Ash ran over and hugged Oddish. "I'm so proud of you!"

Oddish purred happily. _I evolved to magic type too!_

Pidgey waved to Oddish. _Yippee! I'm so happy for you! Now we won't have to worry about dying!  
_

_Yep!_ Oddish replied.

Ponyta whinnied her congratulations. Ash patted her on the head. "Come on, girl. Let's head for Celadon!"

While Ash rode, he thought. * I wonder why Ponyta, Sunny, Butterfree, and Storm haven't evolved to magic-type yet. I've had them longer. Hmm… *

* * *

"Butterfree already evolved." Pika-chan said. Ash jumped.

"What did you say?"

"Butterfree evolved early on, when he was merged with the card. But his markings are rainbow colored and cancel each other out with strategically placed colored bands, so you can only see them if you look very carefully."

"Oh." Ash said. Then, a thought occurred to him. "Wait! You're reading my mind!"

Pika-chan shrugged. "Our bond has gotten stronger. Did you not notice?" Ash looked sheepish.

"I'm afraid not." Ash said. To cheer his guardian up, he fed her a box of apricot flavored cookies. Pika-chan loved them and immediately dropped her grudge.

Todd was trying to figure out what Ash was supposed to wear for the 'Final Judgment' they kept referring to. The problem was that he had a ton of ideas and Ash could only wear one costume. Todd sighed. Ash began setting out lunch for the pokemon.

* * *

Back at the Oak labs…

Vaporeon was a rather patient pokemon, but she was getting sick of being poked and prodded with needles every day. Feeling annoyed, she reverted to energy form and dashed off to find Pidgeot.

She found Pidgeot sitting huffily in a corner of the aviary by herself.

(Hey Pidgeot, are you ready to blow this place?)

(Oh yeah!) Pidgeot said excitedly. (We can leave now?)

(Well, Ash never told us how long we had to say. I've had enough of this fruitcake scientist and his crazy experiments.)

(You're on! Pidgeot) said excitedly. They both reverted to energy form and streaked towards where Ash was.

Ash was moderately surprised when two pokemon landed in his lap.

* * *

"Did you two find out anything?" Ash inquired.

(We actually found out lots!) Pidgeot said gravely. (And I'd advise you not to send any pokemon to Oak, unless you're signing their death warrant. He's running illegal drug testing and pokemon breeding there.)

Ash gasped. "You're _serious_?"

(Would we lie to you?) Vaporeon asked. (Do you actually think that we would betray you?)

"N-no." Ash confessed. "I trust you. It's just that I can't believe that I didn't know about this!"

_Neither did I._ Ponyta said. _Of course, I arrived only a day before your journey began._

_I'm glad we didn't get sent there. _Sunny said in poke speech, which was odd, since she usually used telepathy.

(Right!) Skymew said, bounding around. Ash fed them all, before making himself a tuna salad sandwich. Todd had a roasted hot dog (with the help of his Growlithe) with mayonnaise.

Ash was still shell-shocked. He decided to tell his mom. With a sigh, he pulled out his cell phone, flipped open the mirror, and dialed his phone number.

* * *

"Ring, Ring!" The phone called. Delilah looked up from her lunch with surprise. It wasn't Giovanni, since he was having lunch with her.

"Must be Ash." Giovanni said.

Delilah's eyes lit up and she practically flew over to the phone. "Hello? Ketchum residence."

"Mom, it's me." Ash said.

"Hello, honey. Where are you?"

"I'm heading towards Celadon city. I really miss your cooking though." Ash said truthfully.

Delilah laughed. * That's my boy, the walking stomach. * Out loud she asked him how he was doing.

"Fine, actually. Mom, the reason I'm calling is that I can't send any more pokemon to Professor Oak. He's doing experiments on them!"

"What?" Delilah looked shocked. Giovanni walked over and put an arm on her shoulder.

"I'm not kidding! He almost killed my Pidgeot, but she managed to escape and come find me!"

* * *

"May I talk to him?" Giovanni asked.

"O-oh. Okay." Delilah handed Giovanni the phone.

"Ash? May I make a suggestion?"

Ash blinked. Why was Giovanni on the phone? But he decided to be polite. "Okay."

"I run a gym. I was wondering if you would like me to keep your pokémon for you. Perhaps that would be more to your taste?"

Ash looked unsure. He didn't want to send anyone to Professor Oak, but he wasn't sure he could trust Giovanni either.

(What do you think?) He asked Pika-chan in thought speak.

(He seems like a trustworthy human.) Pika-chan said.

* * *

Seeing Ash's hesitation, Giovanni sweetened the pot. "How about this? I'll take good care of them, plus I'll give you a special poke belt that holds eighteen poke balls. And on top of that, I'll even let you train at my gym with me."

Ash exchanged a quick glance at Pika-chan, who nodded.

"All right." Ash said. "Then I'll see you soon!" He hung up.

"You're so sweet, Giovanni." Delilah said. Giovanni looked modest.

"Nonsense. If I'm going to marry you, I'd better get to know your son, right?"

Delilah smiled. "Well, shall we continue our lunch?" Giovanni nodded and the two of them headed over to the table.

* * *

"Okay, who wants to go this time?" Ash asked his pokemon. "I'll just send one."

(One of the pokemon cards lit up bluely.( Ash nodded and picked it up. "Vulpix?"

Vulpix wagged her six tails. (I'll test the water for the others.)

"All right, girl." Ash said, petting her on the head. "Let's wait until we get to Celadon."

(Right!) Vulpix said. The others quickly finished their lunch and took off. Soon, they were at the city limits.

* * *

End Episode 25! C&CC are great. Flames will be used to weld Chichiri's shakujo. WAIII! I'm a Fushigi Yuugi fan freak too!

Completed 10/22/02


	26. target rainbow badge!

Episode 26! Woohoo! I never knew I'd get this far. Isn't perseverance great?

Disclaimer: Much as I would like to own pokémon, nobody wants to sell it to me. So I'll content myself by writing fanfiction. Please refrain from stealing my characters.

Notes: Yes, ** indicates thoughts, () indicates telepathy, and Italics indicate translated poke speech.

Dawn the Espeon – wow, you were the first person to review! Yay! Thanx!

Ranma – Maybe you're right! Lance… *Gets heart eyes* as Eriol. Hmm… I'll think about it, but then it might turn out championshippy… Yep, Giovanni's personality shall be revealed. *Cackling laughter* But you might have to wait a bit for that.

Ihire – well, somebody's happy that I got two chapters up at once. Thanx!

Kleptomaniac Can opener – thanx for all of your nice reviews! Yep, Oak is the bad guy. *Giggle*

The Eevee Master – the final judgment is in about 2-3 Episodes. Please be patient! I'll be adding in more eevelutions as time progresses and Ash remembers his past. I did miss Episode 17! Thanks for mentioning it! I guess I'll post it somewhere…

Sailor Poketor, The Pokemon Reader – Thanx for reviewing!

* * *

Episode 26: Target – Rainbow badge!

"Yes! We're here!" Ash called.

Pika-chan did a little dance of joy. She was used to good food and comfortable beds, not the rough style of camping. I guess you could say her former master had spoiled her a great deal. Of course, maybe it was because she was dead tired from keeping watch the night before, or that her angelfish plushie was now covered with a fine layer of dust and dirt, due to the fact that a wild pokemon had tried to steal it.

"Oh good. I can go find a seamstress here to do the alterations on your costumes." Todd said. Ash and Pika-chan stared at Todd.

"Well, I'm going off to get the Rainbow Badge!" Ash said, running off towards the gym.

* * *

"I'm going to the grocery store. Is there anything you want?" Pika-chan asked. Ash tossed her his wallet and a shopping list.

"Canned fruits and vegetables, a loaf of bread, two dozen oatmeal raisin cookies, extra socks, super potion, repel…" Pika-chan looked at the list carefully. "Okay. I'll get this for you."

"Thanks, and if there's any extra money, buy yourself a treat."

"All right!" Pika-chan said happily as she flew off.

* * *

Ash was about to go into the gym when he realized that he had forgotten to heal his pokemon at the center, so he left them with Nurse Joy and took a long, hot bath in the public restrooms. When he emerged in a white terry-cloth bathrobe, Todd was waiting with a pile of brightly colored cloth in his arms.

Ash shuddered. "What is it this time, Todd?"

* * *

"Something simple. Since Erika dresses like this (Todd held up a picture) I figured that you, as her opponent, should wear something similar." The 'something similar' turned out to be a black kimono with an inch-thick red stripe on each sleeve, over pants made out of dark blue cloth, black slippers, and an over-robe of white cloth with little light blue lightning bolts and pale red flowers on it.

Ash was about to sigh in relief, noticing that there were no hair ornaments, when Todd produced a woven headdress. Ash began freaking out. * This is simple? And I have to wear something in my hair? The headband for the Primeape card was bad enough! Will this misery ever end? *

"Todd, I'll look like a girl!"

Todd shrugged. "It's authentic." With much difficulty, he pinned the miniature crown onto Ash's head.

Ash was beet red by the time he walked into the Celadon city gym. The worse part was that Gary was there.

* * *

"Hahahaha! Is that really you, Ashy boy?" Gary asked tauntingly.

Ash grimaced. * Note to self. Kill Todd later for humiliating me in front of Gary. It doesn't matter how, but a long and painful death would be especially nice. *

"What's it to you?" Ash said out loud.

Gary shrugged. "I came to check on you, seeing that you're my 'rival' in card capturing."

Ash glared. "Well, I was chosen. You were just lucky!"

"Nyah, nyah." Gary said, sticking out his tongue. He would have continued, had Erika herself not interrupted.

"Gary Oak! If you're not here to challenge me or listen to the stories quietly, then get out of my gym!"

Gary stuck his tongue out at Erika too, but shut up.

* * *

Erika turned to Ash. "Hello. I don't believe we've met yet." She said with a little bow.

Ash bowed back. "No, we haven't. I'm Ash Ketchum from the town of Pallet and I desire a battle with you."

Erika nodded. "Polite. That's good. Why don't we head down to the arena?" She led the way, walking at a brisk pace. Gary and his cheerleaders followed.

Finally, they reached a sandy arena carved into the gym floor. Erika took her place at the far side, while Ash sat down at his end.

* * *

One of the referees walked up. "This shall be a 3x3 battle. The battle will now begin!"

Ash rubbed his chin. "Hmm, Erika uses grass-type pokemon. Right?" Todd gave him a nod from the sidelines where he was taping with a miniature camera, as not to attract undue attention.

"Okay. Ponyta, I choose you!" Ash said, calling out the joyful transport pokemon. Ponyta materialized in a brilliant glow of ruby-red light, flames sparking happily.

_Oh good! I finally get to battle!_ Ponyta said.

Erika thought. "I know how I can win this match. Tangela, I choose you!"

Tangela materialized opposite Ponyta, a very determined look on its face.

"Ponyta, Fire Spin!" Ponyta reared up and shot its flames at Tangela, who faltered and almost fell over.

"Tangela, get it with Sleep Powder so it can't attack you!" Erika commanded.

Tangela began to glow, and soon a shimmering cloud of blue-white powder filled the air.

Ponyta yawned and slowed down. Ash shook his head sympathetically, as his eyes flashed blue for a brief second. * Counter sleep powder. * Ponyta immediately woke up.

(Come on girl, I know you can do this. How about a Flamethrower to put it out of commission?)

Ponyta smiled, if horses can smile, before torching Tangela.

* * *

"Tangela, return!" Erika said, recalling her vine pokémon. "Wow, you must have trained your pokemon to be resistant to sleep attacks. But I'll try something else this time. Weepinbell, use Razor Leaf!" Weepinbell immediately attacked with a barrage of sharp leaves, slicing through Ponyta's tender skin. Ponyta shrieked in pain, before flattening Weepinbell under one of her hooves.

"Bad mistake." Erika said. "Weepinbell, finish it off with acid!" A thick, black, oily, caustic substance immediately began seeping onto Ponyta's hooves.

"Ponyta, return." Ash called almost immediately. Ponyta was recalled in a flash of light and vanished back to her poke ball. I'll heal you as soon as we get out of here, I promise.

Gary whispered something to his cheerleaders and they all burst out laughing. Erika gave the group a dirty glare before turning back to Ash.

* * *

"Well? Choose your next pokemon."

Ash thought carefully, before he smiled. "Butterfree, I choose you." Butterfree flew out with an excited cry, wings flapping.

"Acid again." Erika called.

"Butterfree, evade it and follow up with Psybeam!" Butterfree nodded his head, before dodging the thick gob of corrosive acid that was flung at him. A psybeam from his antennae soon took the Weepinbell out.

"Interesting." Erika mused. "But I have a trump card. Gloom, I choose you!" Gloom waddled out from the side of the room and began filling the air with spores. Butterfree suddenly turned blue and began dropping in altitude.

Ash covered his own nose. The stench was terrible! He quickly recalled Butterfree.

* * *

Gary laughed. "Guess you can't take Gloom's special attack, can you?" He taunted.

Erika didn't say anything, though another glare was directed at that group. One of the cheerleaders noticed, but nobody else did. Ruby almost twitched. If death glares could kill, she would have been drawn and quartered, as well as burnt over a stake and guillotined.

"I do not welcome interruptions." Erika said primly. Then, she turned to Ash. "You may choose your new pokemon."

Ash closed his eyes. * Let's see, I can't use Ponyta or Butterfree, maybe Pidgey will do, but I'm not sure if she can take Gloom's attack. But still… *

"Never mind. Storm, I choose you!" Storm materialized with her typical innate grace and flew through the air, doing a few flips before she landed in front of Gloom.

"Gloom, do the same thing."

* * *

Dragonair immediately covered herself with Safeguard. Ash nodded. "Good girl. Now, how about using ice beam?"

_Of course! That's the easiest way to take out grass-types!_ Dragonair reprimanded him, before Gloom found itself frozen in a block of ice.

Erika was about to apply ice heal when the roof fell in.

"Prepare for trouble!"

"And make it double!"

"To protect the world from devastation!"

"To unite all peoples within our nation!"

"To denounce the evils of truth and love!"

"To extend our reach to the stars above!"

"Amy!"

"Jake!"

"Team Rocket blasts off at the speed of light!"

"Surrender now or prepare to fight!"

"Ninetales!"

* * *

"Ninetales, torch the place! Slowpoke, use Confusion!" Amy called. Ninetails immediately spat out waves of fire, while almost everyone in the room found themselves frozen from Slowpoke's confusion attack.

"Diglett, dig underground and find the perfume!" Jake commanded. That way, the mole would not have to worry about flames.

His Diglett took off. Of course, Gary decided to be heroic and save the day.

Todd continued taping. He had not been judged as a threat…

Ash sweatdropped. * No way! Does anything stop this guy? *

* * *

"Gyarados, I choose you! Hydro Pump!" Gary called.

"Sunny, you know what to do." Ash said. Sunny nodded and took of after the Slowpoke, before frying it with a grand Thunder. Ash gave himself a second to rejoice inwardly, before throwing out another pokémon.

"Skymew, I choose you!" Skymew came out and dived underground before anyone could get a good look at her.

Ash nodded imperceptibly. (Just try and freeze the Diglett or something. If the fire gets close, teleport out!)

(Okay!) Skymew answered.

Ash then threw out some more of his pokemon. "Storm, use Surf! Vaporeon, use Hydro Pump! Lapras, use Water Gun!" The pokemon and two pokemon cards also added their effort to put out the flames. Soon, the fire had been extinguished.

"Gyarados, can't you hit the Ninetales?!" Gary asked exasperatedly as the agile fox pokemon managed to dodge another blast of water from the dragon.

Ash watched, bemused. Storm was draped over his shoulders and trailed onto the floor, while Lapras and Vaporeon were now curled back up in their respective cards, taking a well-earned break.

Pika-chan hopped out of Ash's backpack, where she had hidden herself during the fire. Just then, Skymew emerged triumphant from the tunnel.

(Got it!) She said.

* * *

(Great! Wow, I didn't know you knew transform!) Ash said. Skymew now looked like a Sandshrew, and the only way Ash could tell it was Skymew was because of the faint mirage behind her, which betrayed her true shape.

(Well, I'm not just cute, you know!) Skymew said before hopping onto Ash's head.

Ash smiled and rubbed her head. Skymew wagged her tail.

Gary frowned almost imperceptibly. Ruby noticed and whispered something in his ear. Gary shook his head and began walking away. His cheerleaders all ran after him.

Gary began walking towards the pokemon center. * Must heal my pokemon, and then send an e-mail to Gramps, ask him what other pokemon Ash has. Maybe I should ask about the pokemon cards too, that priest wasn't too specific… *

Ruby saw how depressed he was and kissed him on the cheek. That caused Gary to feel a bit better.

Ash would have said something else, when a shiny silver pokemon hovering in the air caught his eye.

* * *

"Say, isn't that Magneton?"

"So it is!" Pika-chan said, poofing next to him. "Ah, I love Teleport."

Ash looked around. Erika and her attendants/junior trainers were still busy. Now, they were trying to clean up the mess the fire had made. There were scorch marks on the roof and the west wall, but otherwise, it seemed okay.

"Release." Ash whispered under his breath. The key around his neck glowed and assumed wand form almost immediately.

"Ninetales, I choose you." Ninetales appeared next to Ash and wagged her tails. Then, she shrouded herself in Safeguard, before pouncing upon the Magneton, knocking it out of the air with a loud crash.

Surprisingly, nobody looked up. Ash thanked his lucky stars and winked at Ninetails, who winked back. A Flamethrower and Quick attack combination plowed into the downed Magneton. By the time Ash had gotten ready to capture it, it was more than ready to surrender.

"Great!" Todd said. His costume had actually come in handy after all! Ash shrugged modestly, before heading outside so he could change. On the way there, Erika waylaid him and presented the Rainbow Badge and TM, as thanks for helping to save the gym. Ash thanked her and headed on his way to the center.

* * *

End Episode 26!

Flames will be used to create a Smoke demon; that will scorch all of those who sent me flames or derogatory comments! Shadow glares menacingly and holds up a spell book, ready to hurl it at the unfortunate flamer.

I want to hear from my reviewers! Who wants Sabrina x Ash, who wants championshippy (Ash x Lance), and who couldn't care less?

Completed 10/30/02


	27. rest, relaxation, and other stuff

Episode 27! Authoress does a little dance of joy.

Disclaimer: *Sobs* I do not own pokemon. It belongs to Nintendo, Game Freak, Shogakukan comics, etc.

Notes: If you didn't know before, ** indicates thoughts, () indicates telepathy, and _italics_ indicates translated poke speech!

Takes place after 27.

* * *

Ranma – Hehehe, oops! I guess I do write shonen-ai in pokemon. Yep, Gary starts sniffing around to find out Ash's secret, but he won't find anything easily… And I call it _championshippy_ now, because mastershippy is Ash/Mewtwo =(*Shadow pulls out a mallet angrily*

Unknown – So Ash should go with Sabrina because he's Destiny? Hmm… yeah… maybe you're right…

Asher1987 – Thanx! Yay! A new reviewer!

John eon, Airfire0 – So you want Ash x Sabrina, hmm… it all depends on total votes. More new reviewers!

Dawn the Espeon – hmm… sorry, but Shadow doesn't write pokeshippy. It's too clichéd and stuff… thanks for leaving a review!

The Eevee Master – be patient! You'll have to wait until the second arc for Ash to get his new eevelutions, and that's like fifteen episodes away. However, 'evolutionary problems' seems to feature eevees, or if you want to check out my eevee/eevelution one-shots, there's 'Revenge', 'Thoughts of a pokemon', and 'More thoughts of a pokemon'. Hehehe… the 'flame' was funny. Oh yeah, I usually update once a week, just to let you know. I'm doing Ash x Erika in a different fic. And I never said I was going to do Ash x Sabrina, that's just in case I decide to do romance, which I probably won't do. Thanks for all of your nice reviews!

Tmp – hmm… you don't want romance at all! Okay, that's different! Maybe you're right! I don't really want to do romance in this fic, but just in case, I want to know what people's preferences are as to try not and offend all my reviewers… actually, Magneton was a pokemon card. And Zapdos and Moltres will appear soon!

Ihire – so you want pokeshippy too? I'll think about it, but there's no guarantee of romance. Skymew is a mew, yes, with mostly water/psychic type abilities. You can always backtrack and read earlier chapters to find out! A smoke demon is used to attack people…

* * *

Episode 27: Some rest, relaxation, and other stuff

Ash was back at the pokemon center after the battle with Erika. He was floating on his back in the pool, next to Dragonair. This reminded Ash of the time he had tried to breathe underwater.

_Hehehe. That was funny._ Storm said. She splashed him playfully.

(So I didn't know that I would wind up with gills! It was a reasonable mistake.)Ash said.

Pika-chan was floating on top of a buoyant yellow inner tube, sipping lemonade out of a tall glass. She smiled happily.

"Ah, this is the life."

"Enjoying yourself, Pika-chan?" Ash asked. He petted Storm's head absentmindedly and stretched on the blue floatation mattress. "Nothing like a refreshing dip after a pokemon battle!"

Todd had gone off to the library to sponge some books on fashion styles through the ages. Ash didn't think he'd be back for a while.

_This counts as a refreshing dip? Only your toes are in the water though. _Skymew said in poke speech, since she was borrowing the form of a Poliwag.

Ash shrugged and slid off. He swam with Skymew for a few hours, stretching his tired leg muscles and generally just enjoying himself. He was on his way back to his room when he remembered something important.

"Oh yeah, I have to call mom." Ash said. He quickly got out his cell phone. "Hello?"

* * *

Ash's mom ran to the phone. She hadn't heard from Ash in a while, and it was worrisome. She wasn't sure that he had recovered from the accident in Vermillion. But it was nice to know that she cared so much about him.

"Hi, Ash. Where are you?" Delilah asked. Ash noticed that she was still wearing her white and pink nurse outfit, which meant she had just gotten home.

"I'm in Celadon now, mom. And I'm fine. Nurse Joy says that I'm perfectly healthy." Ash reassured her.

"That's good, dear. It wouldn't do for you to have a relapse. We might have to cancel your pokemon journey if that was the case."

Ash blanched at the thought of ending his pokemon journey now. "Okay mom, I'll take care of myself."

"Wait, Ash. I have something for you. Giovanni has something for you too. Have you sent him your pokemon yet?"

"Not yet, mom." Ash said. "But I'm going to do it after I finish talking to you. Are you lonely back in Pallet?"

"It's not too bad." Delilah said. "Giovanni comes over every other night to keep me company, so at least I'm not alone."

"Okay, mom. I'm glad you're okay." Ash said. "Bye!"

"Good bye, dear. And remember, don't forget to change your underwear every day!"

Ash sweatdropped. "Okay." He hung up and slipped his cell phone back into his red and blue backpack. "Shall we go?"

"Sounds good." Pika-chan said. Ash picked up his toiletries and headed for the public showers.

* * *

Soon, Ash emerged in his bathrobe. He looked around carefully, but saw neither hide nor hair of Todd, so he assumed that he was safe. Ash quickly walked to his room, but when he arrived, he saw a set of clothes laid out neatly on his bed.

"Great." Ash muttered.

Sunny looked up from where she was lying comfortably on his pillow. (_I _picked those. Todd hasn't come back from the library yet.)

"Thank goodness!" Ash said. He thankfully changed into the golden and black shirt purloined from his Electabuzz costume, clean underwear, light blue jeans, and his blue-and-white league jacket. As a finishing touch he added the black-and-gold gloves that had also come with the costume and a pair of boots. There were a lot hanging around, thanks to Todd. How did he manage to carry all of it?

(It's very electrical!) Sunny said happily. (Cool! I like it!)

"Cool, let's go out and hit the department store." Ash suggested. Pika-chan perked up. She was wrapped in a fluffy towel after her bath.

"Can we wait until I'm dry? It will only take a few more minutes. Besides, you should comb your hair."

Ash groaned, but accepted the comb Sunny tossed him. After painstakingly working all the knots out (there were a lot), he turned to Pika-chan.

"That hurt! Are you ready to go yet?"

Pika-chan shrugged and spread her little white wings. "I'm ready when you are!"

* * *

They headed towards the department store. When they got there, Ash stocked up on Lemonade and Soda Pop, as well as some vitamins. Sunny blanched at the vitamins, but didn't comment. When they reached the stone counter though, Ash thought of something.

"Pika-chan, do I have any pokemon that can evolve by stone besides Oddish?"

Pika-chan shook her head.

"Darn! Okay, sir, I'll just take a Leaf Stone." Ash said, handing over his money.

"Here you go." The shopkeeper said. Ash pocketed the Leaf Stone, and then headed down to the floor with video games.

* * *

(Oh! Video games!) Sunny said excitedly. (Can I play?) Ash gave her a couple of quarters, and Sunny plunked herself down in the seat next to his, ignoring the questioning glares from some of the others.

Suddenly, the room went silent. Ash turned around and saw a huge strapping man, dressed in black with silver chains around his neck, tattoos over his bare arms, and a pair of dark glasses on his face. He looked angry.

Ash blinked. * Did I do something wrong? * He turned to Pika-chan; she threw him a clueless look from the top of the machine.

"What's wrong?" Ash asked.

The biker dude growled. "Kid, do you know whose game you're sitting at? Mine!"

"I don't see your name on it." Ash replied. * So that was why it was empty and everyone freaked out when I sat there. *

"Kid, I'm gonna have to teach you some lessons." The biker said, picking up Ash with one hand and lifting him into the air. "Nobody sits I _my _seat. Got it? Now scram before I hurt you!"

Ash growled. * Why that arrogant bully! I just wanted to relax after that battle with Erika! Is a little peace too much to ask for? * He tightened his fingers on Storm's great ball angrily.

The biker noticed this and dropped him unceremoniously on the floor. "So, kid, you want to duke it out! You've chosen the path of pain! Nobody's ever been able to beat Goliath here!"

* * *

Ash turned to a green-haired guy next to him. "Is that true?"

"Yep! You betcha! That's why nobody sits there! It's suicide!"

Ash shrugged and turned back to Goliath. "I accept your challenge!"

Goliath blinked. This kid was crazy, but it was his funeral! "You're asking for it! Machoke, pound the crap outta him!"

"Sunny, I choose you!" Ash said. Sunny leapt to his side in one fluid motion and faced the Machoke, hissing and shooting sparks.

Machoke charged its opponent, but the Jolteon vaulted over its head and landed behind it, before blasting it with Pin Missle.

"Idiot! Machoke, Seismic Toss!" Machoke picked up Sunny and picked her up, before throwing her to the floor. Hard.

"Sunny, hang in there! Use Bite!" Sunny nodded and sunk her canines into Machoke's legs, eliciting a cry of pain from the fighting type pokemon.

"Machoke, Karate Chop its neck!"

Ash shook his head. Sunny dodged the chop and then blasted Machoke with Thunder. Machoke wavered and began to fall.

"Machoke, Fissure!" Goliath grinned. From the shocked look on his opponent's face, the kid hadn't been expecting _that_ move. Served him right for underestimating Goliath!

Ash took a few breaths to calm him down. Sunny looked panicked. "Sunny, Double Team and Agility! Don't let it hit you!"

Sunny nodded and the room filled with copies of Jolteon. Goliath shook his head sympathetically.

* * *

"Sorry, but that just won't work. Machoke hit 'em all!" Machoke nodded and began destroying the copies one by one.

But by the time Machoke got to the real Sunny, it was completely out of PP.

"Sunny, use Pin Missle again!" Sunny grinned wolfishly, before sinking her opponent so full of pins that he couldn't move and fell over.

Goliath's jaw dropped. This punk from nowhere actually had some talent! And to beat his Machoke with a Jolteon…

Sunny began to glow. Ash smiled. * All right! She's evolving to magic-type too! Yeah! You rule, Sunny! *

When the light cleared, Sunny was still there, albeit a bit taller and thinner. But the spikes around her neck were tipped with silver.

Ash hugged Sunny and waited for Goliath to make his next move.

It didn't take too long. As soon as the shock from the evolutionary light wore off, Goliath called out his next pokemon.

* * *

"Graveler, pound that Jolteon!"

"Sunny, come back!" Ash said. Sunny retreated back to his side. Ash allowed himself a moment to smirk, before he threw out the next poke ball. "Oddish, I choose you!"

Oddish waddled out to the arena. Blinking, he faced the towering Graveler and yawned.

"Graveler, smash the plant!"

"Oddish, Stun Spore! Wait until it's on top of you!" Ash commanded. Sparkling orange spores drifted out of Oddish's leaf and engulfed the Graveler, which suddenly froze in place.

"What's wrong, Graveler?" Goliath asked. "Use Self-Destruct!"

Ash gasped. This wouldn't work! "Oddish, quick! Mega Drain!" Oddish latched onto Graveler's head and began draining its HP. Graveler tried to move, but the Stun Spore was inhibiting its movements.

"Now, Oddish, finish it off with Razor Leaf!" Oddish grinned cutely before launching the volley of sharp leaves. Goliath winced at the sight of his Graveler.

"Return." He said. He stomped off.

* * *

Ash shrugged. Then, he remembered something.

"Oh yeah, I have to send Vulpix to Giovanni today." Pika-chan smiled and teleported them out of the now-crowded department store into the pokemon center.

When Ash got there, he summoned Vulpix.

"Are you ready girl?"

_As ready as I'll ever be!_ Vulpix replied. She wagged her tails. _Don't worry, if I get into trouble, I'll just teleport out!  
_

"Okay." Ash patted her on the head and waved goodbye.

* * *

End Episode 27!

Please review! Flames will be donated to the Lava Ghoul, who will then devour the computes of those who didn't review! Shadow growls and pulls out Destiny's wand and waves it threateningly at the readers.

Completed 11/4/02


	28. hidden within the heart

Episode 28! Pant, pant. Boy, I'm tired. Well, it is hard writing this!

Disclaimer: I'll buy pokemon, how much is it? $2,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,009?! I'm not that rich! Darn. Guess I don't own pokemon after all.

If you want to buy Destiny it costs 10 x 9991000000000000000000000000 00000000000 dollars. Okay? Okay. Good, that's settled.

Charlotte is mine also. She's not for sale, even though she's a minor character right now.

Timeline: Two weeks after Episode 27.

* * *

Ranma – I see. Well, some people are afraid of it… Thanx for reviewing 'Dragon's love'!

Dawn the Espeon – Thanx, Dawn! :) I love your reviews!

Love4884 – well, maybe. But I'm not sure I'll be doing romance after all.

The Eevee Master – well, Ponyta and Storm haven't evolved yet because they're already so magically tuned that they don't' need to! Remember, how Ash spent about 8 months practicing magic with Storm between parts 4 and 5? And Ponyta's a special case, don't worry, she'll probably evolve soon!

Tmp – okay. Answers to all your questions, are… Sunny evolved into a magic-type pokemon like Pidgey, Oddish, and Butterfree already did. Ash got Pidgeot and Vaporeon back from Oak, remember? Yeah, Ash is kind of paranoid. Todd's not in this chapter either! Yes, I feel kind of sorry for the biker too… Hehehe. Sorry, but I'm not doing pokeshippy unless I'm desperate.

Bellossom Boy – wow, so many nice reviews! I'm really glad you liked my fic! Yep, Todd is a Tomoyo clone. Pika-chan acts like Kero-chan because she _is_ Kero-chan in this version.

The Plot Bunny Whisperer – you want Ash/Sabrina? I'll think about it.

The Pokemon Reader – of course I'll continue! *Smiles*

Notes: Pokemon speak in _italics, _while telepathy is in ()

* * *

Episode 28: hidden within the Heart

Gary sighed. According to Ash (he had sent Sapphire to spy on them last night), there were only 5 pokemon cards left. Zapdos, Moltres, Mewtwo (gasp!) and the Secret cards…

"This is crazy." He muttered. "How am I supposed to capture a legendary pokemon without attracting attention?"

"I don't know." Ruby said, from her position on the couch.

"Neither do I." Emerald seconded.

"Well, why don't we take a break today? Let's go see that new film, 'Sleeping Beauty – pokemon style'."

"Sounds good to me." Sapphire said.

"Well, that's it girls, let's go!"

* * *

Ash and Pika-chan were finishing up some cheese sandwiches and bananas kindly provided by the magical fruit basket. Pika-chan sighed and leaned against the bed.

"This sure gives out great food."

"It should." Ash said, "Or else why would I use it?"

"I don't know." Pika-chan shrugged. "But why didn't you eat lunch at the Italian restaurant? Dinner there last night was good."

"I know." Ash thought back to the pizza. It had been so crispy, and the pepperoni and mushrooms had been superb. He sighed.

"Well?" Pika-chan asked. "Tell me or else I'll eat your caramel delight chocolate bar!"

Ash protectively grabbed his candy. "Because Gary was there with his cheerleaders! I don't want to share a restaurant with his odious presence."

"Ah." Pika-chan said wisely. "I see." Then, she turned her puppy-eyes on him. "But can I have some candy, please?"

Ash sighed and broke off a fourth for her. Pika-chan grinned infectiously and began chomping.

* * *

Skymew floated in, carrying a bag. (Hi!)

"Where were you, Skymew?" Ash asked.

(Oh, I was on the balcony, watching people. Then, I went to the bathroom and practiced transforming into people. It worked okay.)

"Nice." Ash said. He chewed his candy meditatively. Suddenly, he had an idea. "Hey, do you guys want to go to the movies? They're showing a new film there!"

"Really?" Pika-chan perked up.

(What's it about?) Skymew asked.

"It's some type of love story, but the cast is all pokemon. It sounds good. Why don't we spend the afternoon there?"

(YAY!) Skymew said. She hopped onto Ash's head and transformed into a Meowth. Pika-chan scampered onto Ash's shoulder. Ash went downstairs and collected the rest of his pokemon, who were enjoying the free buffet.

* * *

"Let's go to the movies."

(Okay!) Sunny said.

_Sounds fun!_ Oddish said.

_Why not? What's a movie anyways?_ Pidgey inquired.

_Can I stay here with Dragonair?_ Storm asked. Ash nodded his assent and released the Dragonair card.

_I want to go!_ Butterfree said, waving his antennae.

_Me too!_ Ponyta said.

* * *

"Okay, let's go!" Ash said. The group quickly headed to the movie theater.

"I would like one human ticket and seven pokemon tickets." Ash told the cashier.

"Here you go." The nice lady with the purple hair told them. "The movie begins in about fifteen minutes."

"Thank you!" Ash said. Then, he headed to the snack counter.

(Can we have popcorn?) Sunny asked.

"Sure. Do the rest of you want anything else? Soda might not be too good for you though."

_I want the peach rings!_ Pika-chan said in poke speech as not to attract attention.

(May I have some jellybeans?) Skymew asked politely. Ash nodded.

_I don't want anything._ Oddish told him.

_Me neither_. Ponyta said. _There's no grass here_. She looked sorely disappointed and Ash patted her neck reassuringly.

(Can I have some apple rings?)Sunny wanted to know.

_I want the bit 'o honey bar. _Butterfree spoke up, his antennae twitching excitedly.

"Okay." Ash told the guy at the counter, "I want eight small popcorns with butter on the side, one order of peach rings, one order of apple rings, a bit 'o honey bar, and one Sprite please."

"That will be twenty-six dollars and seventeen cents."

Ash handed over his money, distributed the snacks, and led the pokemon into the darkened theater.

* * *

Meanwhile, Gary and his cheerleaders were all laughing noisily in their seats. But when the theater darkened, they fell silent.

Unfortunately, both Ash and Gary were so absorbed in the movie that neither noticed the presence of the pokemon card.

MissingNo hissed angrily. He couldn't believe how this entire group of people (and pokemon), were so taken in by that screen that they were unaware of his presence. It was dastardly! He finally decided to do something about it.

Slowly, people started disappearing one by one. First, the poor souls who had been crammed into the farthest reached of the theatre and cleverly hidden in the shadows, as there were no more available seats. Then, the rows, slowly but surely emptying without a trace of motion, and finally, the entire back half of the room were gone. But that was not enough. He was so angered that he began closing in…

Pika-chan suddenly stiffened. "Ash! It's a-!" Was all she managed to say before she was sucked away. In a blink, all of the others vanished also. Ash and Gary were the only ones left.

Well, that wasn't exactly correct. Pika-chan was still there, just not with Ash. In fact, she would up in an empty 'room' which was… empty.

"Ash! Where are you?"

But alas, her pleas did not reach him.

Finally, Pika-chan gave up. "You'll have to do this on your own." She said simply, before biting into a cookie.

Ponyta and the rest of the gang looked at her worriedly.

"He'll be all right."

* * *

Ash looked around. He knew what Pika-chan had meant to say. So he turned his back on Gary and pulled out his key.

"Key that hides the power of the elements, reveal your true form before me! Your master under the seal of contract Ashura commands you, Release!" Instantly, the key once again obligingly took on wand form.

Meanwhile, Gary was not standing idle either. He had whipped out his bronze mirror and was now impatiently scanning for the pokemon card.

Ash saw the mirror and blinked. * This could be bad. * But out loud he said nothing for a few minutes as he tried to figure out which card it was.

Gary shrugged and decided to try out his idea. "Golbat, go! Use your Supersonic to find a way out of this place!" The Golbat came out in a wisp of smoke, before sending supersonic waves all over the place. Its aiming was terrible. Ash winced and put up a psychic barrier to protect him from being hit in the face.

But it really wasn't much help. Try as it might, Golbat was unable to find an exit. So it was with impatience that Gary recalled the card.

Ash decided to try something else. He twirled his wand in a circle before focusing his chi on Pidgeot's eye. "Magic to cards, cards to key!" He cried. But instead of a beam of blue light, what appeared was a glowing orb that surrounded both of them before it vanished.

"That means it must be all around us…" Ash said softly.

* * *

"Eh?" Gary asked. "Well, I'm just going to blast my way out then! Scyther, SLASH!" Scyther also appeared in a wisp of smoke, but its attack was unsuccessful. Ash closed his eyes and thought hard.

"Wait a minute… everybody else disappeared into the darkness, so why aren't we disappearing?"

Gary shrugged. "Who gives?"

Ash rolled his eyes, before he suddenly figured it out. "Light! We're glowing, see?" He pointed down, and Gary was astonished to see that they were both glowing like glow-worms, or flashlights.

Or rather, Ash was glowing and Gary was sort of bathed in it as well.

But this didn't last for long. Soon, the glow began dying down Gary cried out in shock as he was suddenly sucked away.

Ash gripped his wand tighter. * I've got to think quickly or I'll disappear as well! Let's see, it's afraid of light! But I know light isn't a pokemon card! But what is… *

"Come on, Ash, you can do it!" Pika-chan said from where she could see the action. Skymew was fluttering around nervously.

* * *

"Growlithe? Arcanine? Ninetails? Raichu?"

Suddenly, something hit him.

"Fire and Lightning… Zapdos and Moltres!" He cried.

"He got it!" Pika-chan cheered.

Two glowing orbs appeared in front of his chest, glowing respectively reddish and yellowish.

When they solidified, Ash saw Zapdos and Moltres floating there, arm-in-arm, I mean, wing-in-wing.

"Kirei…" Ash gasped.

They smiled at him, before turning to the darkness together.

"MissingNo! We know you are out there! Reveal yourself!"

The shadows began to gather and took a blocky, cubic form.

MissingNo hissed at them, but there was nothing it could do.

"You must seal us all together. The light will balance the darkness." Moltres said in human speech. That didn't register in Ash's head until later.

"Return to your true form, pokemon card!" Ash cried. The blue glow surrounded the three forms, transforming them into the cards.

"Wait! Before you go, tell me about the final judgment!"

* * *

_The judge is close to you._ Moltres said.

_She is right beside you. She has always been there…_ Zapdos told him.

MissingNo glared balefully, but added his line. _Beware, Ash… she will come in a way you do not expect._

Then, they solidified and nothing more was said.

When the movie came back on, Pika-chan noticed Ash clutching the new cards to his chest with a preoccupied expression.

She looked down. * He'll have to face her when the time comes, and it will not be easy… *

* * *

End Episode 28!

Cliffhanger, Hehehe! Review or I won't post the next chapter! Eight reviews needed! Oh yeah, and please go and check out 'Dragon's love'. Please? *Big puppy eyes* Don't worry, it's not shonen ai!

Completed 11/17/02


	29. revelation of the hidden power

Episode 29!

Authoress falls to the ground, utterly exhausted.

In a sudden poof of smoke, Ash appears. "Hey! You can't die now! The story's almost done!" He starts to poke her.

Pika-chan poofs in …and proceeds to shock the poor writer out of her wits.

Authoress: "Hey!" Sits bolt upright and begins writing frantically.

Pika-chan and Ash sigh in relief and lean back to watch the show. Unbeknownst to them, Authoress sticks out her tongue and crosses her eyes as soon as their backs are turned.

* * *

Disclaimer: I do not own pokemon. It belongs to Nintendo, Shogakukan comics, Game Freak, 4Kids, etc. I do own Destiny, Charlotte, and Pika-chan too!

Timeline: 2 days after Episode 28

Ranma – yep, the judge is a girl. Not telling you who it is, though! Oh, and I changed chapter 4 of 'Dragon's Love' to a new and different chapter. *Wink*

Tmp – Ash was the only one glowing because Moltres and Zapdos were inside his heart. The secret cards are… its explained in this part. Yes, Missingno was one of the cards and Mew is too. Destiny shows up in the Final Judgment and yes, the card will be created much later. Kirei means pretty/beautiful. No, Ash doesn't 'know' the judge personally. He found out about the final judgment in episode 17, it should be up now; I forgot to put it up the first time…

Dawn the Espeon – can you handle the excitement?

The Eevee master – wow, you've got a lost of questions and I'll try to answer them the best I can. Todd didn't go to the movies. Yes, the judge is like Yue, doesn't know that she's the judgment maker while in her other form. Kirei = pretty or beautiful. Missingno is a secret card, it'll be explained in this chapter. Yes, Gary disappeared because he didn't have light in his heart. Ash will change his cards before the Johto arc, because I feel like it. If I ever get Ruby or Sapphire, I will do the Houen cards but after the Johto card arc!

MapleCharisma –This is yet another vote for pokeshippy or Ash/Sabrina? I'll try…

Pokemon Reader – of course I'll continue! Hehehehe.

Note: It took so long because I asked for 8 reviews and I only got 6… but as not to keep you guys in suspense any longer, I'm posting this part since I feel nice… so next time, more people should review! *Glares* I know more than 6 ppl read this! () is used for telepathy.

* * *

Episode 29: Revelation of the Hidden Power

Both Ash and Gary were chasing the Mewtwo card, in their own way. Ash was riding Ponyta, and clutching his wand at the same time, while Gary was riding his Arcanine, the mirror firmly clenched in his hands. Neither was giving the other an edge.

"Grr! He's trying to crowd you off the road! He's playing dirty!" Pika-chan declared.

"Well…" Ash thought for a second, before chanting and focusing his chi. * Wings for Ponyta… * Instantaneously a pair of white wings grew from Ponyta's back. "Let's take the air then!" Ash's magic improved as he caught more cards, and now it was quite high. He just needed more practice.

Gary noticed this and scowled. "Pidgeot, go!" He hopped onto its back and joined the hunt, muttering angrily under his breath.

Ash was getting seriously annoyed. He released Sunny and pointed at Gary. "Sunny, Thunderbolt!"

"Pidgeot, fight back with Whirlwind! Blow them out of the air!" Gary replied, not giving up without a fight.

Sunny smirked and used Thunder. The Pidgeot cawed and began trying to evade the lightning bolts. She was mostly successful, as she only got slightly singed.

"Sunny, Match Thunder." Ash said, knowing that this was an extremely accurate attack.

Instantly, blue lightning bolts shot from all directions and hit the Pidgeot dead-on. Gary began falling.

But he wasn't giving up either. He shone his mirror on the Scyther card and hopped onto its back, before speeding towards Ash at 60 Mph.

Ponyta panicked. _What do I do_?! She asked frantically. She felt a little queasy in the air.

Ash sighed, and let her back into the poke ball. He immediately began falling to earth, but Pika-chan caught him with her teeth.

* * *

"I'm going to transform." She said, before her wings surrounded her. When they parted again, she had grown from a tiny winged Pikachu into a slender, about five feet tall creature. She was a shimmery pale gold, with long feathery white wings. She had pale rose swirls on her back where the stripes on a regular pikachu would have been, and the tips of her paws were cream-colored. Long ears, like those of an Espeon, extended from her head, tipped with ice blue fur. The tail was also tipped with blue, but she still kept her sparkling brown eyes. Her cheek pouches were red-gold.

Ash stared. Pika-chan had told him that she could regain her true from after he captured Zapdos and Moltres, but he had never guessed it would be this. Now the name 'Eternal winged Pikachu of greatness' really seemed fitting.

"Hop on." Pika-chan said pleasantly. Ash climbed onto her back and they continued flying up towards Mewtwo.

* * *

Just as they got there, Mewtwo whirled around and began sending out an immensely powerful Psywave towards them. Ash clutched his head, but still managed to summon his first pokemon card.

"Moltres!" Ash gasped out, before he keeled over. Pika-chan immediately flew him down to a vacant roof and began shaking him to wake him up.

Meanwhile, up in the air, a terrific battle was going on. Moltres was pecking at Mewtwo, trying to hit him in the eyes. Meanwhile, Mewtwo was just swatting her aside like a rag doll. Moltres kept attacking, but her flames seemed to be vainly bouncing off his protective bubble.

"Oh no." Pika-chan said. "Even with me nearby, Moltres's power is still too weak. My presence should be boosting her energy, and it is, but alone Moltres cannot summon up enough magic to defeat Mewtwo. That means the second guardian must be around here, boosting Mewtwo's power."

Skymew had splashed Ash in the face with Water Gun, to try and wake him up. Now, his vest and t-shirt were absolutely soaked, but he was still out of it.

(He seems to be extremely unconscious.) Sunny said. (Normally, water is very effective in waking people up.)

Ponyta whinnied loudly to try and wake him, but her efforts were useless as well.

"Unless Mewtwo got him with Hypnosis…" Pika-chan mused. "Wait! That might explain it! But we've got to wake him up somehow. Check if he has any Awakenings in his pack."

There were none. And Todd had gone off to Vermillion to visit an aunt a week ago, so he hadn't been there to videotape.

(Wait… I have an idea.) Skymew said. (Is the fruit basket in there?)

"Yes, why?" Pika-chan asked.

(Because there are some natural fruits that can cure sleep, like Mint Berries and Metallica Fruits.) Skymew said. She extracted the basket and spoke to it for a few minutes. Finally, it produced a pale green berry.

* * *

"Here you go, Ash!" Pika-chan said, shoving it into his mouth. Ash began chewing. After a few moments, his eyes fluttered open.

"Good! You're awake!" Pika-chan said. "Now let's try again." Moltres, beaten, had returned to card form. Ash looked at it sadly before picking up a different card.

"Zapdos!" Zapdos charged out and began circling Mewtwo.

Meanwhile, Gary was still riding Scyther and peering through his binoculars, trying to figure out Mewtwo's weakness.

Alas, Zapdos's thunder didn't do much more damage than Moltres's flames did. He succeeded in partially paralyzing Mewtwo, but then he was hit by Psychic, and, wracked with pain, resumed card form.

"Zapdos!" Ash cried. He hugged the card to his chest. Closing his eyes, he tried to figure out which type would be good against mewtwo.

"Scyther, Slash!" Gary yelled. Scyther danced in next to Mewtwo and managed to slice its left cheek, before being blasted into a building, with Gary on it.

"Ow! My head! **My head**!" Gary said rubbing his head and glowering at the psychic pokemon, which was still wreaking havoc in the sky.

Ash suppressed a chuckle, even though it was a serious situation, seeing Gary get blasted into a building was tension relieving.

* * *

"Missingno." Ash finally said, with dread. The black shadow pokemon came out and literally swallowed Mewtwo. Ash's eyes widened to the size of saucers and he turned to Pika-chan.

"Missingno can beat Mewtwo?"

Pika-chan looked into his eyes seriously. "Missingno is one of the eight 'secret cards', they're the wild cards in this deck. So yes, it can beat Mewtwo."

"The other secret cards were…" Ash checked his pockets. "Missingno's one, then there's Mew, but I don't have that one yet, Charcolt, Sapasaur, and Rainer, Pikablu, Flareth, and MQ."

(Authoress' notes: Do these sound familiar? Hehehe, I'm using all the fake 'cheatable' pokemon, well, Missingno's real, and Mew is too, but… I remember when I was playing blue version and I tried to get these. MQ is a glitch, like Missingno. Charcolt, Sapasaur, and Rainer are respectively the 4th stage evolutions of the Charmander, Bulbasaur, and Squirtle chains. Flareth is what you get if you talk to the girl on Celadon who asks for a drink 100 times in a row. Pikablu… I bet you guys all know this one.)

* * *

"The other secret cards are easier to get." Pika-chan said. "But you usually can't get them unless you unlock the keys."

"Can you stop talking in riddles?" Ash asked.

"You can get them, but they have a will of your own. They usually come to you right before the final judgment."

Ash sweatdropped. "O-kay…" He looked up and noticed that Mewtwo was losing to Missingno. He sighed in relief.

"Return to your true form, pokemon card!" Ash shouted. Mewtwo was captured and it floated down.

Ash smiled, vastly relieved.

He climbed back on Pika-chan's back and the two of them floated back down to good old terra firma.

"Let's go to the pokemon center." Pika-chan suggested.

"Good idea." Ash recalled his pokemon, and quickly ran to the center. Afterwards, he went to take a long, hot shower, followed by a three-hour nap. Sunny and Pika-chan, who was back in her small form, also snoozed.

After a while, they woke up. Ash headed downstairs to get dinner. He smiled and turned to Pika-chan.

* * *

"It's finally over! Where do you guys want to eat?"

(Let's hit the Charmeleon Café!) Sunny suggested, which the others seconded.

"Okay. But that means I'll have to wear more formal clothes." Ash sighed and dug through his backpack. But he had no luck, as he only had his regular t-shirts and jeans, as well as Todd's costumes. Finally, he decided to wear the khakis from his Primeape costume, with a light blue shirt. It didn't look _too_ bad. He also combed his hair and put on a clean light gray sports jacket.

When they arrived, Ash ordered pokemon buffets for his pokemon and some Cinnabar Volcano burgers and chili for himself. They all enjoyed their meals, even when Pika-chan accidentally ate too much and had to discretely revert to her true form under the table.

(This food is great.) Sunny said, from where she was happily crunching fried calamari and cod filets. Butterfree was enjoying his bowl of honey pudding, while Oddish had some nice chopped greens mixed with tree bark and flower petals.

_Yep!_ Ponyta said from her trough, filled to the brim with poke food and delicacies a horse might enjoy.

_We should do this more often. _Pidgey flapped her wings for emphasis. Ash quirked an eyebrow at her, but smiled.

"You're right. It is nice."

* * *

Meanwhile, Gary and his cheerleaders were at another restaurant. They were morosely drowning their sorrows in bowls of clam chowder.

"I can't believe he got Mewtwo." Gary fumed silently.

"I know." Ruby said. She was angry that all their cheering had been wasted. Emerald and Sapphire felt the same way.

"But why? What did I do wrong?" Gary thought for a long time, but he could not form any cohesive thoughts. Finally, he got up and left the restaurant for a breath of fresh air.

Gary walked over to the pokemon department store. Maybe he could work off some of his anger in a few good pokemon battles. But when he had gotten to the top floor, he still hadn't found any challengers. He stopped to get some drinks at the vending machine.

* * *

"I'm thirsty? Can I have a drink?" A little voice asked from beside his elbow. Gary turned and saw a little five-year old girl with hair in pigtails standing there.

"All right." Gary said reluctantly, handing over a bottle of Fresh Water. But as soon as she had taken it, her form started to blur and reform.

Gary's eyes widened. * It's a pokemon card! * He thought. He quickly pulled out his mirror and his stack of cards.

The 'girl' re-solidified into a pokemon resembling a Flareon, only thinner, with tufts of fur at its paws and two tails. It was dark red.

"FLARETH!" It hissed, before leaping at Gary. Gary barely dodged out of the way, earning a scratch on his left cheek.

"Seaking!" Gary said, calling out the goldfish pokemon. Seaking appeared in the ground in front of him and began flopping around, spewing water everywhere. Gary's black suit was absolutely soaked.

"Argh! Seaking, what are you doing? This suit is dry clean only! Attack the Flareth!"

Seaking tried, but Flareth booted it into the vending machine.

"Grr. Wartortle, go!" Gary said, shining the moonlight across the mirror onto the card. Wartortle immediately bashed into the Flareth, before attacking with Surf. Flareth tumbled into a lawn chair and table.

"Heh." Gary said, shining the mirror directly towards Flareth. Flareth panicked and tried to run, but was frozen and resumed card form.

Gary picked up the card. "Well, it's not a total loss. I'm going to change, and then I'm going back to the restaurant."

* * *

Ash tensed, knocking over his plate of fruit. Pika-chan squealed and got out of the way.

"What did you do that for?" She hissed in a whisper.

Ash shuddered, feeling a sudden sense of coldness invade his body. With his heightened senses, he could feel the disappearance of a previously occupied sphere of energy.

"Gary just got one of the secret cards…"

"Oh no." Pika-chan said. The mood ruined, they quickly packed up and headed back for the pokemon center.

* * *

End Episode 29!

Comments and Constructive criticism accepted! Flames will be used to make a bonfire, in which I will burn all of last year's terrible homework.

Completed 11/17/02


	30. ripples of time

Episode 30 has cometh! Yatta!

Disclaimer: *Sobs* Shadow does not own pokemon. It belongs to Nintendo, Game FREAK, 4Kids, Shogakukan comics…

Note: This fic may seem out of context, but it isn't. An explanation will be posted at the bottom of this segment. Or if you want to read that first, that's fine too…

The Pokemon Reader – cute poem! *Smile* I'll post the next chapter soon, don't worry!

The Mistress of Richard Cox – thanks! Hmm… Ash and Pika-chan in human form is intriguing… I'll think about it, I can only do 1 pairing though!

Tmp- yes, Ash is bonded partially to the pokemon cards by his association with them. Final judgment countdown – ONE EPISODE! Hehehehe…

Ranma – Come on; guess who (or what) the judge is! *Wink*

Hollow SHADOWS – you returned! Yay! Anyways, no, I didn't post it earlier… oh, and go read Dragon's Love too; it'll help explain Dragon's Tears… Hehehe…

? – I'll update, timing depends on number of reviews…

Pikacar/Marle – join me in this bonfire! And why haven't you reviewed earlier? Oh well, thanx for reviewing! *Smiles* Since chapter 11, eh?

Vessal2000  Um, you have to do exactly 100 times… and there's some other stuff too. But it's a FAKE CHEAT! Ahem. Anyways, thanx for reviewing!

Dawn the Espeon – Well, not sure, but I'm pretty sure its fake… yeah, I know Gary didn't talk 100 times but that would take WAY too long and I'd get annoyed. And I bet the readers would too. *Smile*

* * *

Episode 30: Ripples of time

A ripple crossed the area, for a brief second. Nothingness, a flash of white, then time resumed. But all was not well…

A small blocky shape flew towards the horizon and vanished.

* * *

Ashline yawned as she woke up. Her long, silky black hair flew everywhere as she shook her head in an attempt to wake herself up. An indignant squeak came from the little lump next to her pillow.

"Oh no! Did I hurt you, Jigglypuff?" She asked worriedly, reaching out in the general direction of the shape. A small balloon pokemon puffed itself up and floated out of the sheets. It nudged her hand to tell her that it was okay.

Because, you see, Ashline couldn't see at all.

Jigglypuff was her 'guide dog', of a sort. But this particular Jigglypuff had been special. It had given her a task, to find the pokemon orbs, which had been scattered throughout Japan. This was no easy task for a blind girl, but she had help in the form of her best friend, Garina.

Garina did not have the power to collect the pokemon orbs, nor the authority to do so, but she accompanied Ashline during her adventures. Garina was her pair of eyes, and almost a part of her. Without Garina, Ashline didn't know what she would do. Garina was the person who had to chase Theo away when her choreographing got annoying, or when she got in the way.

* * *

(Wake up, Ashline! It's late! Today is a new day!) Jigglypuff said in his deep voice, which sounded thoroughly odd, coming from such a small pokemon.

"I'm coming." Ashline said in her soft voice. She slowly raised herself out of bed and felt her way over to her closet. "What should I wear today?"

"I've got something!" Theo yelled from downstairs. Theo was Ashline's bossy older sister, with long white-blonde hair that usually got in the way. She liked making costumes for Ashline, but she charged a hefty price. It was lucky that Garina picked up the tab. Garina always thought they were 'cute'.

"What does it look like?" Ashline called back. She knew that Theo wouldn't lie to her. It was a comforting feeling.

Theo clomped upstairs and put a pile of fabric in Ashline's hands for her to feel. The fabric was soft and downy, and Ashline was sure that it would be beautiful.

(I'll tell you.) Jigglypuff said. He thought that these decorations were a waste of time, and therefore was not very inclined to help, but Ashline was his Chosen, so she had to be told.

(There's a dark blue knee-length skirt, with a white jacket made out of some furry material. You also have a dark blue cape with white crescent moons embroidered on it. There are two dark blue ribbons for your hair, with a crescent moon at the top of each. The shoes are dark blue boots that go up almost to your knees, with more crescent moons on them and white-trimmed tops.)

"Amazing…" Ashline breathed in awe, fingering the fabric. She _so_ wished she could see it…

* * *

As if some invisible entity had granted her wish, Ashline suddenly had a split-second shot of the costume. It was even more wonderful than she had imagined, but at the same time, she felt a strange surge of irritation, as if Theo was getting in the way, as well as a spike of enmity towards Garina. But it was gone in an instant.

Ashline shook her head. The stress of collecting the pokémon orbs was probably going to her head. She didn't notice Theo' s blink of confusion, or the way Garina, who had been waiting at her door, suddenly jerked away, since she couldn't. But Jigglypuff did see this and wonder. However, he was battling his own demons. He had suddenly had he urge to do midair flips and consume twenty pounds of rich chocolate. He decided that they probably needed a break.

(Ashline, you've been working pretty hard lately. Most of the pokémon orbs have already been collected. You deserve a day off. We shall go on a picnic today.) He told her.

Ashline's eyes lit up. Quickly, she walked to the bathroom in the hall and took a quick shower, brushed her teeth, and combed out her waist-length hair. She put on her undergarments, and then Theo helped dress her in the beautiful outfit. They had a quick breakfast of cereal and milk, before they went outside to find Garina.

* * *

Garina smiled. "You look really nice today, Ashline." She said in her sweet voice. Ashline blushed a bit.

"You really think so? I wish I could see what you were wearing…"

"Oh, just my usual purple tank top and black skirt." Garina replied. "Are we going anywhere today? Did you sense any of the pokemon orbs?"

"Not yet." Ashline admitted, biting back a surge of pride from… somewhere. "We're going on a picnic!"

"That's wonderful." Garina said. "Here, we can take my car. Grandma Oakley won't mind." They headed over towards Garina's light blue beetle. Both of them climbed in, Theo running in at the last minute with the picnic basket.

"Let's just enjoy ourselves today." She said pleasantly. "I packed all your favorites."

"But I'm on a diet…" Ashline said, frowning.

"Don't worry, I'll eat them for you!" Garina said cheerfully. "Shall we go, or is Jigglypuff coming?"

(Yes I am.) Jigglypuff said, hopping onto Garina's lap. (Let's go!)

* * *

Garina started the car and drove slowly, taking care not to run over any stray pokemon. Odd, this morning when she had woken up, she had been inexplicably angry for some reason towards Ashline, but she just couldn't remember. She brushed it off as a bad dream. Then, when she had gotten into the car, she had the urge to drive like a speed demon, but that also was quashed. Maybe she had eaten too much of Aunt Millicent's chicken casserole last night… probably just a result of indigestion.

Jigglypuff tried not to stare at the picnic basket Theo held, but for some reason, he was bafflingly drawn to it. The food seemed to beckon him. What was going on? He had always had the most self-discipline of all of Mistress Madoushi's pets…

Theo didn't feel any different, really, except for a surge of creativity. Dresses weren't all that easy to move around in. Perhaps she could design some nice pantsuits for Ashline instead.

Ashline held her head. She had a terrible headache, and felt nauseated. But that was impossible, she had gotten ten hours of sleep last night! And she had resisted the urge to eat six bowls of cereal at breakfast this morning. Not to mention that she kept feeling at her waist, as if she should be carrying poke balls. But she had never had any pokemon, not until she met Jigglypuff. Maybe it was just a stage she was going through, the jealousy was really getting to her…

It was a quiet group that finally dismounted at the meadow. Ashline was even more quiet than usual, and Garina's bubbly personality seemed to have vanished completely.

Even lunch was a subdued, quiet affair. Ashline kept reaching for more sandwiches, but stopping herself just in time. Jigglypuff surprised everyone by consuming all of the extras in one gulp. Theo quit taping them abruptly and muttered something about the sunlight being in the wrong place, while Garina stared at Ashline obsessively.

Fortunately, something happened.

* * *

"I feel the presence of an orb." Ashline said, getting up.

"Where is it?" Garina asked.

"Um, that direction." Ashline pointed. Gary and Theo helped her walk along, while they tried to spot the orb.

"There it is!" Theo finally called. "It's the Magikarp orb!"

"But it feels so powerful!" Ashline protested.

"Ashline, I don't want to contradict you, but its got to be that gigantic Magikarp." Garina said evenly.

(I am inclined to think so also.) Jigglypuff spoke. (Begin the incantation.)

Ashline clasped her hands in front of her chest and stood up straight. Pink light began to swirl around her in little wisps.

"Oh, ring of starlight, that conceals the power of myth, show yourself to me, your mistress commandeth!" She said. A silver ring set with a pink stone appeared on the third finger of her left hand, while a ring of pink energy surrounded her.

The stone glowed brightly, pulsing with heat. That confirmed the presence of a pokemon orb.

* * *

"Against water use an electric type!" Garina called, while Theo taped like a woman possessed.

"Yes." Ashline said, as a sparkling yellow jewel appeared in front of her right hand. She touched it to the ring on her left hand and the light formed into a Pikachu.

Pikachu's cheeks sparked, before frying the Magikarp with a thundershock. The fish flopped weakly, before collapsing in a heap.

"Return to your-." Ashline stopped abruptly, that wasn't how the speech was supposed to go! What was wrong with her? Clearing her throat, she tried again.

"Reveal yourself and cease to be!" She called, ignoring the budding pain in her abdomen that started to spread through the rest of her body. The Magikarp flashed, before turning into another yellow orb and flying into her ring.

Ashline shuddered and fell to her knees in pain. This was really too much! She was unaware that Theo and Garina were fighting their own losing battles. Her form began to shift and blur, as two timelines that had been supposed to stay separate had merged and were now trying to reform.

* * *

Ash managed to try and take over for a few seconds. "Key that hides-." He gasped out, before Ashline beat down the pain and took over again.

"Jigglypuff! Is this a pokemon orb?" She shouted.

Jigglypuff was busy trying to shake off Pika-chan's tendencies, but it wasn't working much better. "Y-yes!" He finally managed to choke out.

Theo had righted her and was now taping.

Garina fogged up for a second, but she won. "It's probably somewhere close! Use the ring!"

"R-reveal yourself and -!" Ashline stopped in mid-sentence. "Hey, whoever's in my body, leave me alone! I need to capture this pokemon orb!"

"And I need to capture this pokemon card!" Ash shrieked as he claimed possession and grabbed his key. "Key that hides the power of the elements, reveal your true form before me! Your master Ashura commandeth you, RELEASE!"

Ashline beat him down again. "Reveal yourself and cease to be!" The orb shimmered and floated closer and closer. She was about to touch it when-

"Return to your true form, pokemon card!" Ash gasped out. The orb shifted and formed itself into a dark blue card. Ash smiled triumphantly, before he fainted.

* * *

When he awoke, he found Pika-chan beating her wings in his face.

"Hey, ease up, Pika-chan!"

Pika-chan perked up. "Oh, you're awake! That's good! I was afraid that you would be out for a while."

"What happened?"

"Timeline merge. It was MQ, the glitch pokemon. It can cause glitches in the timeline." Pika-chan explained patiently.

"Oh… so in an alternate timeline, I'm a blind girl, best friends with Gary, Todd is my _sister_, and I have to capture the pokemon orbs with a sarcastic Jigglypuff?"

"That's about it!" Pika-chan told him.

Ash rolled his eyes. "Never mind. At least I caught MQ, right?"

* * *

"Right!" Pika-chan and Ash gave each other high fives. Suddenly, Ash noticed something.

"Say, how did Todd get here?" He asked, peering at the photographer curiously.

"MQ teleported him in because he needed to be here also. Gary's still out though." Pika-chan said.

"Good. We'd better leave before he wakes up." Ash said. Todd supported him and the three quietly made their way to the pokemon center.

"Hey, you're pretty cute as a girl, Ash." Todd mentioned.

"Oh?" Ash blinked. "I wouldn't know; I was blind after all."

"Well, that dress was so pretty! Maybe I could modify it and make you a costume like that!" Todd started to daydream as they continued their walk.

* * *

Elsewhere…

A pair of eyes opened and began to gleam darkly. "The time has almost come… soon, the fate of the card captors shall be decided, once and for all."

* * *

End Episode 30!

Comments and Constructive criticism accepted, the little review button at the bottom is lonely! Give it a click and tell me what you think! Flames will be used to make fried eggs. 8 reviews for next chapter, if you want it up quickly! If you don't mind waiting, it's the usual 1-chapter 1- week thing.

Completed 11/22/02


	31. long awaited revelations

Hi! Phantomness here! Here's part 31, thanx for reviewing!

Disclaimer: I do not own pokemon! It belongs to Nintendo, Game FREAK, 4KIDS, and Shogakukan comics.

Ash: Hi everybody! The long-awaited chapter is now up!

Pika-chan: A.K.A. THE FINAL JUDGMENT!

Shadow: Hey! This is my fic! Get out!

Ash: :( Don't you like me anymore? :(

Pika-chan: *sniffles*

Shadow: *laughs nervously* Ehehehehe…

Ash: Pika-chan, shock her!

Shadow: AAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! *Twitches around on the ground in pain*

Pika-chan: *Cute innocent look*

* * *

Notes: In case you couldn't remember after all these chapters, () indicates telepathy, ** indicates thoughts, and _italics _indicates translated poke speech! Takes place 1 week after the last episode.

Note 2: In case you didn't know, this is ALTERNATE UNIVERSE! Okay? Just making sure!

* * *

Ranma – Hehehe, so you can't guess. Yep, I had lots of fun making that alternate dimension. So who did you think the judge was?

Tmp – the pokemon orbs are that dimensions equivalent of the pokemon cards. No, she never did get the Magikarp orb… it was MQ in orb form! Yes, MQ is one of the secret cards. And yes, Todd will be in the final judgment, Hehehe.

Pikacar/Marle – I'll keep writing! *Grin* Yes, Alternate universe is always fun to play with. *Smiles*

Pokemon Reader – heh. Glad you like it, it was fun to think up! *Snickers*

Cli Nola – why don't you like CCS? Or well. It might be *Shudder* CC. Okay, I forgive you. Thanx for reviewing!

The Eevee master – Yay! So many reviews! Yep, timeline merge is so fun! Sure, how many eggs do you want? Orbs and judge have already been explained, I think, but yes, it was cool deciding to use a ring to catch pokemon orbs. Oh, yes, but I'm already done with the next chapter, just waiting to post it, I like to stay ahead… Join the bonfire! Was your vacation fun?

Heh, I just got your 3rd review. Don't worry it will be up soon! Even if Gary gets a secret card, he doesn't get to keep it! Remember that! Ash sensed Flareth's capture because he was partially bonded to the pokemon cards by his association with them. (Read my authoresses notes).

Ihire – no problem! Thanks for reviewing! *Winks*

Otaku4Ever – Wai! New reviewer! Yep, poor Gary and Todd… NOT! *Evil cackling laughter is heard*

* * *

Episode 31: Long-awaited revelations

"Return to your true form, pokemon card!" Ash shouted, as blue light streaked around the group of rampaging pokémon. They all shrieked and resumed card form. One flew to Gary, but the rest flew towards Ash. Ash caught them all and then turned to Pika-chan. "Well, that's that!" He said, giving her a peace sign. "It's over! I've caught all of them!"

Pika-chan nodded, but her eyes were shadowed. However, in his excitement, Ash did not notice. He was too busy happily dancing around with his wand. Finally, Pika-chan cleared her throat.

"Ash, shouldn't we return to the pokemon center?"

"Right!" Ash said. He picked her up and started swinging her around in the air, giddy with excitement.

Pika-chan plastered a fake smile on her face. * It seems too easy… something is missing… the final judgment maker… where is she? *

Gary picked up his card and primly walked away, head held high. His cheerleaders were waiting outside.

"Did you win, Gary?" Ruby asked. None of them could actually see the cards in card form, but from Gary's face, something good had happened.

"Of course! That loser Ash Ketchum is nothing compared to me!" Gary said. "Now let's go get ice cream and celebrate!"

"Yay!" The cheerleaders shouted. They all piled into Gary's bright red sports car and drove down the street, leaving behind a huge cloud of smoke.

* * *

When they returned, they saw Todd waiting at the door with very, _very_ big teary eyes.

"Why didn't you wake me up? I could have taped it!" Todd wailed. "The climax of Card Captor Ashura's adventures! And I missed it!" Todd began to sniffle loudly.

Ash rolled his eyes almost imperceptibly. Todd didn't notice.

"I'll put on the costume, if it makes you happier." He offered.

"Yay!" Todd instantly turned 180 degrees in mood. He cheerfully ran up to his room to get the costume.

"Why'd you do that?" Pika-chan inquired.

"Do you want a freaked out Todd on our hands for the rest of my pokemon journey? I think not." Ash replied.

"Yeah, but I'm hungry!" Pika-chan complained.

Ash blinked. * What does that have to do with anything? * However, he produced a chocolate bar for Pika-chan.

"Mmm…" Pika-chan bit deeply into the luscious milk chocolate-coated caramel dipped peanut treat. She sighed.

"Life doesn't get much better than this."

* * *

Ash pocketed his cards and sat down on a bench to wait for Todd. He also used the fruit basket to produce some oranges, since he was feeling a bit hungry after all that chasing. Ash was halfway through his second orange (hey, they were small ones!) before Todd returned.

"Here you go!" Todd said cheerfully, handing Ash the costume, neatly folded.

Ash slowly unfolded it, unsure of what he would find.

"It's my greatest work." Todd said proudly.

Ash wasn't quite sure what to say. The costume consisted of a pair of dark red satin pants that flared out, embroidered with scrolling ribbons of gold pokemon. He had a dark blue shirt with flowing sleeves, with gold bands at the sleeves. Along with this costume went a black belt of double-looped silk, and sturdy black leather boots that went up to his knees. At his throat was an emerald clasp, set in gold, which kept his black silk cloak on his shoulders. The inside of the cloak was trimmed with dark red velvet, of the same shade as the pants, and he had gloves of white silk that went up to his elbows, trimmed with blue. The cloak was also embroidered with pokemon designs.

Ash was stunned into silence.

* * *

"Amazing… you weren't lying, Todd." Pika-chan finally managed to stammer out. The dark colors suited Ash's complexion very well, and red and blue contrasted with black and white nicely.

Todd basked in the praise from both Ash and Pika-chan. Then, they walked out into a deserted part of the forest, just in case anyone was watching.

"Well, I'm all ready to videotape your last adventure!" He said. Slowly, Ash took out his last cards, and methodically wrote his name on them as Todd taped. The last card was Pikablu. Ash paused for a second to give Todd a 'V' for victory in the camera, before he picked up his pen to sign his name.

"Are you ready?" Pika-chan asked softly in the background.

"Eh?" Ash finished writing the last stroke of his name.

* * *

Silver sparks danced around Ash, Todd, and even Gary. All the pokemon cards immediately whipped into frenzy, and they all circled around their respective owners before disappearing. Golden light shone in all directions.

"The final judgment." Pika-chan intoned, as her wings whipped around her and she resumed her 'true form'. The seal of the pokemon cards shimmered into existence beneath her feet.

One of Ash's poke balls suddenly broke open. Skymew floated out, but her eyes were cloudy.

"What?" Ash asked in surprise. "Pika-chan! What's going on?"

Pika-chan didn't reply. Everyone watched as large wings sprouted out of Skymew's back, and enveloped her in a cocoon. Silver light shot out of the cocoon, before it parted again, revealing a beautiful girl dressed in a dark red jacket, a black miniskirt, and long black boots that went up past her knees. Long black hair fell past her waist, as a pair of purple eyes opened and fixed Ash with a cold stare. From her back grew a pair of dark purplish black wings.

Todd and Gary both gasped. Ash blinked.

* * *

"It's _Sabrina_!" Gary said, freaking out. "She used to be the Saffron City gym leader, but she vanished six years ago! Gramps told me all about it! I always wondered where she went!"

"I know!" Todd added. * Never mind that I was only six at that time… *

Sabrina settled herself down on a convenient tree. In one hand, she held a beautifully detailed silver crescent moon charm, with wings and the word 'Yue' in Chinese on it.

"I am the final judgment maker." Sabrina intoned. "I am here to test the candidate that the Decision maker Pikachu has chosen. Yet… only one should be trying for the position. Those of you who do not possess the key of Clow, can you hope to defeat me and pass my judgment?"

* * *

Todd and Gary both looked up.

Sabrina floated down in front of Todd first.

"Shall we begin?" She asked in her dead voice. Todd blinked, but then his eyes went blank. His video camera fell from limp fingers as he was levitated up into the air. Silver beams crisscrossed the area, forming a sort of platform for them to battle on. Todd landed with a bump and regained his senses.

"What?"

Sabrina held up a hand. Instantly, a barrage of red crystals shot at Todd, who barely managed to avoid them.

Todd gasped and dived out of the way. "Gloom, go!" He cried. The flower pokemon stirred itself and hopped out of the card, landing in front of Sabrina, who did not look impressed.

"Psybeam." She uttered quietly. Multicolored rings of energy shot out towards Gloom, knocking it into the air.

"Oh no!" Todd cried. He barely had time to say more, before he was impaled upon a crystal spear.

Sabrina dusted her hands, but then she paused. "He wasn't supposed to die. He was just a distraction. The true judgment is still yet to come."

Todd toppled off the platform, clutching his chest. By the time Ash and Pika-chan hurried over, it was too late.

* * *

Gary looked shocked. He swallowed softly. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all! But he bravely clenched his teeth and pulled out his mirror.

"Ah… so you have the mirror." Sabrina said softly. "But that alone cannot defeat me. Let us begin." Gary was also levitated up into the air, blank-eyed. He landed on his butt with a yelp when he fell on the platform.

Sabrina used the same barrage of ruby shards that she had used against Todd. Gary managed to deflect some of them with the mirror, though.

"Evil spirits begone!" Gary shouted, throwing one of the ofudas from the priest at her.

It hit Sabrina… but absolutely nothing happened.

"These magic wards are useless." Sabrina said in monotone, as the ward crumpled into a billion pieces of ash.

Gary picked up a card and threw it in front of the mirror. "Flareth, use Fire Blast!"

Flareth appeared, but then it just blinked at him.

"Fire Blast is not within Flareth's range of attacks." Sabrina intoned. Another barrage of crystals shot at Gary, nearly knocking the mirror out of his hands. He rolled near the edge of the platform, but barely managed to stay on due to a convenient bar.

* * *

Flareth changed back into a card, before Gary could command it to do something else.

"Charizard, go!" Gary shouted, throwing out a poke ball. He mounted Charizard and flew up towards Sabrina.

Sabrina shrugged and shot another wave of crystal shards at Gary, who winced as one of the ruby pieces slashed a cut open on his forehead.

"Charizard, use Flamethrower!" Charizard puffed out a stream of concentrated flames, which surrounded Sabrina, enveloping her in a wave of fire. The smoke obscured her from view.

"Is she down?" Gary asked hopefully. However, a minute later, the fire slid apart and disappered. The glowing silver shield around Sabrina split in half as she walked out, not a hair was singed.

"Why do you not use your pokemon cards to defeat me?"

Gary clenched his teeth. "So be it!" He pulled out his most powerful card, muttering under his breath.

"Mew, I choose you!"

* * *

Mew immediately began attacking. Gary grinned in satisfaction, but as Mew neared Sabrina, her eyes flashed pure gold. Mew suddenly turned around and turned on Gary.

"AAUGH! What are you doing?" Gary shrieked.

"Mew is one of my pokemon cards." Sabrina said. "Now, you lose."

There was a scream, and then Gary fell from the platform. Ash walked over to him.

"What happened?"

"She took… she took all of my pokemon cards away…" That was the only coherent sentence Gary could form. He began babbling incoherently afterwards.

"Now it is your turn." Sabrina turned to Ash. His eyes also went blank and he was levitated into the air.

"Ash…be careful." Pika-chan whispered. "Sabrina is very powerful."

* * *

End Episode 31!

Cliffhanger! Review or else I will not be posting the next part! *Evil grin* I need 9! Comments, Constructive Criticism accepted with joy. Flames will be used to make S'mores! Or, to forge Sweet to turn Nelvana into candy!

Completed 11/26/02


	32. the end of the beginning

Episode 32! The end is in sight!

Disclaimer: I do not own pokemon. And even if I made any revenue from this fanfic, Meowth and Persian would relieve me of it immediately. Destiny is mine though, as so is Charlotte.

Notes: Yes, in case you were living under a rock or skipping my notes, indicates telepathy, ** indicates thoughts, and _italics_ indicates translated poke speech.

Dawn the Espeon – I will! Aw, don't fade! Then I'll lose a reader! And it's a cliffhanger because the original Japanese series has the final judgment as 2 episodes, which the dub crammed into 1. Grr…

Pikacar/Marle – Hehehe, if I get enough reviews…

Ihire – of course I'll write more!

Pokemon Reader – are you trying to say 'hay Chihuahuas?' Yes, of course, I know what's going to happen, heh…

HurriCanine – be up soon!

Horse – another vote for Ash x Sabrina! Man, this pairing is actually fairly popular…

Ran – great guess! Yes, I completely forgot that I used Gary in the original! *Whacks self* How did you know? Do not worry, Todd will return! Next one will be up soon!

Silver – I'm glad you think so! Why did you send me the same review thrice?

Matt C. – Really? *Blushes* Aw, how nice. Wow. What a compliment. Thank you and the next chapter will be up soon!

The Pokemon Reader – Skymew was actually Sabrina, you know how Charlotte gave Skymew to Ash? She knew! Have a S'more! Yay, Gary's gone! And Todd will return! As they say in the princess bride, he's not 'all dead', just 'Mostly dead'. However, you will have to wait a couple of episodes for Todd to return, I decided to give Ash some time alone…

Mistress of Richard Cox – of course you can have a S'more! *Hands you one* Aw, a fan for Pika-chan!

Goldfox133 – soon! Okay?

* * *

Episode 32: The end of the beginning

"Skymew was Sabrina?" Even with the evidence in front of his very eyes, Ash still found it very hard to believe.

Sabrina drifted down in front of her and took his chin in her hands. "Skymew was my false form, child. This is the first time you have seen me in this form, I believe. The candidate that Decision Maker Pikachu has chosen to be the new master of the pokemon cards."

"Skymew…" Ash whispered. He still couldn't believe it. * Why? She was just a friend, a pokemon, why? *

* * *

Pika-chan hopped towards him, but was prevented by a force field in her way. "Don't worry, Ash! If it's you, I know you can pass the final judgment!"

"Still as innocent as ever." Sabrina said. "Just the way master wanted you to be, a child."

"You haven't changed a bit! You're still as stern and cold as ever, with your eternal bad mood!" Pika-chan shot back.

"Then this is the… final judgment?" Ash asked.

"I told you. When all the pokemon cards are gathered, the final judgment will be administered."

* * *

Sabrina flew up into the air. Behind her, the full moon shone, bathing the area in silver radiance.

"Cards created by Clow, the master you seek, Chosen by Decision Maker Pikachu, this young man, his name is Ashura!"

Sabrina paused, as Ash's Pidgeot wand started to glow. The eye turned a brilliant shade of gold, scattering beams of light in all directions. The pokemon cards surrounded him again, spiraling around in eye-catching patterns.

"Now I, the Final Judgment Maker Sabrina, will administer the Final Judgment, and test whether this candidate is worthy of becoming our new master!"

"The Final Judgment…" Ash whispered.

"If you can defeat Sabrina using the pokemon cards you have gathered, then you will become the new master of the Kanto pokemon set." Pika-chan said.

* * *

"If you are really the master of the pokemon cards, then you will have no trouble defeating the second guardian of the pokemon cards." Sabrina declared. As she spoke, another group of red crystals formed in her hands.

"Watch out!" Pika-chan shouted as they streaked towards Ash.

"Golem!" Ash said, calling out the rock pokemon and hopping onto its back. He managed to dodge the first two blasts.

The third time he was not as lucky. He went flying off the pokemon, which went back into card form.

Gary pulled out the rest of his poke balls. "Arcanine, Gyrados, Pidgeot, go!"

"NO!" Pika-chan shouted. "If you disrupt the final judgment, Ash will automatically lose. And I'm not going to let you do that!" Her cheeks sparked, as energy shot out towards the three pokemon, paralyzing them.

"Not attacking, just trying to run?" Sabrina asked. "If you don't work harder, the judgment will be over."

"Wait a minute, Sabrina!" Pika-chan said. "Ash! Put more effort in! If you lose, then disaster really will befall this earth!"

"What is this 'disaster' you keep referring to?" Ash asked.

"It's 'forgetting'." Sabrina told him, pausing in her attack.

"Forgetting?"

* * *

"The 'Forgetting' created by Clow for his cards…" Pika-chan said in a hushed whisper. She landed next to Ash on the platform. Sabrina let her stay for the time being since they weren't fighting seriously yet.

"The 'Candidate' chosen by Decision Maker Pikachu to become the new master of the Clow Cards, if they do not have to the power to defeat the Judgment Maker Sabrina…" Sabrina continued.

"The cards, and the people related to the cards, 'their favorite person', their memories will all vanish."

"Their memories?" Ash asked in shock.

"The cards do not like being deceived. If they find out that their favorite person who they thought was their master betrayed them, they will forget them to spare themselves any pain. And they will erase the memories of anyone connected with the Clow Cards as well."

"Then, the cards will return to the book and wait for their new master. The 'disaster' Clow created, was not to destroy this earth, or to change the shape of this planet, or bring about needless violence."

"But to forget everything, that is the most painful punishment of all." Pika-chan finished.

* * *

"Everyone… will forget ... their most favorite person…Todd, Gary, my Mom, Giovanni, Storm, Pidgey, Butterfree, Skymew, Oddish, and all the cards…" Ash closed his eyes and winced as he realized the implications.

Sabrina and Pika-chan waited.

"NO!" Ash said, propping himself up with his staff. "I'm not going to allow this!" The cards swirled around him with renewed energy, as he stood.

"Pika-chan, I cannot attack Sabrina, because she is Skymew, and I would not hurt Skymew!" Ash told Pika-chan.

"And, Sabrina, like you, is one of the guardians. I want to be her friend."

"But if you do not attack Sabrina, you cannot possibly win!" Pika-chan said. "No! It does not matter, because if you use the cards to attack, there is no guarantee you will succeed! If the card is one of Sabrina's, the attack will fail and be bounced back towards you! And if that is one of the powerful cards, you will die!"

"Even though I do not know what to do, I will still try my best." Ash said.

Confidence crept into his tone, as he continued. "And I know that I won't fail."

Sabrina floated down in front of him. "Are you ready now? Then, the real final judgment will begin!"

* * *

Ash picked up a card. * To defeat Sabrina without hurting her, I will need a card that can incapitate her. Pidgeot… *

He was about to activate it when…

"WAIT!" Pika-chan shouted. "Pidgeot is one of Sabrina's cards! It's like what I said earlier! If you use one of them, then the attack will fail and bounce back at you! And tonight is the full moon! That's when Sabrina's power is at its strongest!"

"The Decision Maker is not allowed to interfere in the final judgment." Sabrina said coolly.

"I'm not interfering!" Pika-chan shouted.

"I overlooked it this time, but next time, there will be consequences." Sabrina told her.

Pika-chan blushed. "Sorry, Ash… I can't help you any more. But Ash, remember this… even if you fail the judgment, I will never forget you… Neither will the cards that you have captured."

"Because we all like you, Ash."

"Thank you." Ash said, deeply touched. He turned to face Sabrina.

* * *

"Machamp, disable her!" Ash called. Machamp charged. However, Sabrina teleported away and took it down with Psychic.

She also knocked Ash over with the backlash, so he landed facedown on the platform.

"The test is over, Pikachu." She said quietly, as an arrow of light formed in her hands. "You understand, don't you? I will now administer the 'disaster'. After all, only Clow could defeat the judgment maker."

"No!" Ash said. The cards suddenly formed a protective shield around him.

"Impressive." Sabrina said, raising her eyebrows. "But you cannot defeat me this way."

Ash didn't reply. He closed his eyes and gripped his wand tighter, channeling his chi and magic through the staff. * I need to defeat her… I can't lose! * Rings of multicolored energy spiraled around him, closer and closer.

"Trying to beat me with just pure magic?" Sabrina asked.

The rings finally collapsed around Ash, before soaring upwards into a column of energy, enveloping him.

* * *

(It is time.) A voice whispered.

Ash found himself floating in an expanse of gray. "Where am I?"

(This, child, is your soul. You are still confused and uncertain. Until you learn to accept yourself as you are and break the seal that was placed upon you, here you will stay.)

"But I need to defeat Sabrina!"

(The answer lies here. Unlock the secret and you will be free.)

Ash rolled his eyes. * Well, the person's talking in riddles. How am I supposed to figure anything out? But how did I wind up here, anyway? Maybe if I focus my chi, I can get out. *

Ash again refocused his chi on his staff. This time, the energy simply bounced back at him and was absorbed.

(Think back to your past.) The voice prompted.

Ash closed his eyes and tried to recall what had happened, but he remembered Delilah talking about how he had amnesia. * Will this really help? * He kept trying to think, until finally, there was a flash of memory.

"That was Sunny, but where was I? Maybe thinking about Sunny will help." Ash began to recall his past memories, until finally one significant one popped in. Destiny and Sunny were swimming together in the river.

"That's me. I know it somehow, but I can't summon up my name. This is really strange." More time passed, and the mist grew thicker. It began to coil around Ash threateningly, trying to choke him.

"I can't lose!" Ash said. "If I cannot even escape my own soul, how can I hope to defeat Sabrina?" His staff shone brightly, and a golden light suffused his body. When the light cleared, Destiny stood where Ash had been. Around his neck hung a tiny thumbnail-sized bronze mirror on a golden chain, with a single red tassel hanging from it. But Ash knew what it really was.

The misty barriers went down, and Ash found himself standing opposite Sabrina again.

* * *

"Yay!" Pika-chan cheered.

"Mirror for the new candidate, your purpose is now fulfilled. Let your power come into my key. Key created by Clow, Accept this new moon power! Under a new seal of contract I command you to, RELEASE!" The tiny mirror dissolved in a burst of silver light. Ash's staff gave a triumphant spin and the Pidgeot head suddenly changed into a golden five-pointed star surmounted in a blue moon with two pairs of white wings at the sides. The body of the staff was a darker shade of blue.

"Become a reprimanding chain, Articuno!" Ash commanded. The silver-blue titan of ice streaked towards Sabrina.

"I told you already. Moon-based cards cannot affect me." Sabrina said solemnly. So she was shocked when Articuno's chain of ice constricted around her.

"What?!"

* * *

Articuno dropped Sabrina in front of where Ash was standing. Ash walked over and helped her up.

"Sabrina, I know that I'm nothing compared to Clow. And I know that I'm just a child, I oversleep all the time, I'm terrible at history, and I'm not the best trainer either. And I know I won because of the mirror of moonlight. But I like Pika-chan, and I like all the cards. I don't want to be your new master, but your friend."

"So I'm sure it will all work out."

Sabrina stood up and sighed. "All right, close your eyes." Her wings rustled softly behind her.

"Eh?"

"I, the Final Judgment maker Sabrina, accept Ashura as the new master of the pokemon cards."

* * *

Ash found himself floating in midair. Standing amidst the stars was a man dressed in long robes with the sun and moon embroidered on them. He was smiling.

"Sabrina, Pika-chan, and the cards. Take care of them for me." He said.

"C-Clow?!" Ash asked in shock.

"Yes." He smiled at Ash's shock. "The staff you carry now has a new magic. Not the power of the sun, or the power of the moon, but the power of 'Star'. For even though the light the stars give out is faint, it is your own light."

"In the future, 'I' will bring you trouble, but if it is you, there will be no problem."

"What?" Ash didn't get to say anymore, because then he was jerked back into reality.

Sabrina and Pika-chan were waiting.

* * *

"Even though you have become the new master, you still do not have enough power to support the guardians. We will stay in our false forms." Sabrina told him.

"That way we can be you your side." Pika-chan said, nuzzling him.

"That way, if you ever run into trouble in the future, we will be there to protect you."

"Until then!" Pika-chan said cheerfully. Energy swirled around both of them, turning Sabrina back into Skymew and Pika-chan back into a tiny winged Pikachu.

Ash caught Skymew as she fell over. Pika-chan hopped onto his shoulder.

"When Sabrina changes back into Skymew, she loses all her memory." Pika-chan said.

* * *

Ash nodded and Skymew was recalled back into her poke ball. "But what about Gary?"

Pika-chan pointed to Gary, who lay fainted on the ground. "He won't remember any of this. Kind of handy, too much shock can do this to a person. We'll just nudge the amnesia along a little bit."

"And Todd?"

"Well…" Pika-chan scratched her head. "He wasn't supposed to die. But, I'm not sure what we can do…"

"Let's give him a proper burial at least. He deserves that much."

Pika-chan smiled to herself. She and Ash finally decided that the quickest way would be to cremate Todd. So they set him on fire and scattered his ashes to the wind.

Ash detransformed and changed into normal clothes. Then, he picked up his backpack.

"Come on Pika-chan, let's go!" They climbed onto Ponyta, and streaked towards the next stop, Saffron City.

* * *

End Episode 32. Thus ends the 'Card Captor Ashura' arc. The following arc will be the 'Ashura cards' arc.

Comments and Constructive Criticism accepted. Flames will be used to flame-thrower all those stories I hate! :)

Question: Do you want me to make a new story called 'Card Captor Ashura – Season 2?', or do you just want me to keep adding chapters to 'Card Captor Ashura?' I'd prefer just adding more chapters, but its up to you readers… so drop me a review and tell me! Oh yeah, 8 reviews for the next arc.

Completed 11/30/02


	33. ASHURA CARDS ARC BEGINS: on the road of ...

Episode 33! Hehehehe…

Notes: The Ashura cards arc begins now.

Disclaimer: As always, I DO NOT OWN POKEMON! *Giggles* I would like to though! And in case it wasn't already clear enough, Destiny belongs to yours truly.

Disclaimer 2: I DO NOT OWN CCS! It belongs to CLAMP, Kodansha. That means Eriol, Spinel Sun, and Ruby Moon are not mine. And yes, Eriol is still alive. However… he's not the person who is doing the testing, or is he?

* * *

The Eevee master – I'm so sorry about that! *Sobs* But my computer froze when I was doing it and I guess it wasn't saved! I'm sorry! Really! And don't worry about Todd! He'll be back. But his parents forgot because he failed the final judgment, remember? How the 'forgetting' is the punishment. I want to add more chapters too! By the way, have a S'more!

Ranma – ah. I see. Another vote for more chapters! Hmm… thanx for the compliments on Ash's character! *Blush* as for Eriol, I'm think Lance-chan… *Smile*

HurriCanine – Johto card arc comes after the Ashura cards arc. I know Todd is kind of annoying, but a lot of other people like him… still, it was fun killing him! *Smirk*

The Pokemon Reader – so you want me to just add chapters? Okay!

Tmp – you didn't like me killing Todd off? Don't worry he will return… in a different way… and no, he wasn't supposed to die, but… yeah, I know a lot of people were on vacation, its Thanksgiving, after all!

Dawn the Espeon – yeah, well the reason it was a lot like the actual episode was because I had a copy of CCS in Chinese next to me for reference when I was writing this part. Heh. *Smiles*

Ihire – another vote for another arc! But it all depends on total… thanks for all of your encouraging reviews!

Pikacar/Marle – oh, I see. Another vote for continuing the story here… nice! I'm glad you liked it! Really! I'll keep writing, don't' worry!

Trutenor – cool, you want Ash x Sabrina. You read my whole fic in one day? Wow. Todd will return, just wait! *Smirks*

Goldfox133 – I see… you just want me to add chapters? Almost everybody wants that!

* * *

Episode 33: On the road to Saffron… or not

"Pidgey, Gust!" Ash said, knocking out his opponent's Raticate. Jill sighed and recalled her pokemon.

"Wow, you seem to have some potential. Maybe you would like to take the challenge?"

"What challenge?" Ash asked, perking up. Maybe things were looking up after all! It had been three days since the 'Final Judgment', and so far, all he had done was battle junior trainers. It seemed like everyone within a five-mile radius was eager to pokemon battle.

"There's an old legend." Jill said. "In pokemon tower, the spirit of a powerful magician is said to rest. Nobody that's every seen it has come back. Supposedly, only the very best make it there, and they are defeated."

"Pokemon Tower is in Lavender town, right?" Ash questioned.

"Yeah. But nobody in the right mind would go to Lavender Town. The place is crawling with ghost-type pokemon! You'd be scared out of your wits before you caught one."

"It seems intriguing." Ash said. "But I'll have to ask my mom about it. Besides, isn't a ghost-type useful in fighting a psychic gym leader?"

"You want to take on _Althea_?! She's insanely powerful!"

"I need the badge, don't I?"

"But there are other gyms here in Kanto! You could get a badge at the lesser-known gyms, after all, you only need eight to get into pokemon league."

"What other gyms are there?" Ash asked. He had never heard about them before.

"Well, there's one in Lavender town, called the Seismic gym. That leader uses ground-type pokemon. And then there's the Fighting Dojo, also in Saffron. And the third is the Orange gym; it's actually on a farm. The leader uses Doduo, Dodrio, and Tauros."

"Well, in that case, I'll hit Lavender Town first!" Ash said. He waved good-bye to Jill and re-mounted Ponyta.

* * *

As soon as they were out of sight, Pika-chan floated out of his backpack, carrying a bag of candied apple slices.

"Can we stop for lunch yet?"

"Pika-chan, we've only been walking for three hours!"

"But I'm hungry." Pika-chan said. Her eyes went all big and shimmery, and she put on her most innocent expression.

Ash rolled his eyes. * Why am I such a softy? * Out loud, he said that they would stop in half an hour.

"YAY!" Pika-chan said, doing a few little cartwheels in the air out of pure joy. Her wings flapped excitedly.

* * *

Ash would have said more, but then he remembered something. "Guess I have to call mom again."

"Ring, ring!"

"Hello, Ketchum residence." Delilah said.

"Hi, mom!" Ash said as he pressed the heart button that turned the videophone on.

"Ash, where are you?"

"I'm on my way to Saffron." Ash lied. * Mom will get all upset if she finds out that I'm going to Lavender Town. Wait, she's not really my mom. But she's raised me since I was four or five, so… *

"Be careful, Ash. Giovanni says that Althea is a tough gym leader."

"I know." Ash said. "I miss you. Maybe I'll come home to visit sometime."

The next piece of information rocked him. "Will you be back by next summer? Giovanni and I are planning to get married then."

Ash's jaw dropped. "Really?!" Inwardly, he couldn't believe it. His mom had never shown much interest in men, but now…

"You need a father, Ash. And he's really a wonderful person. I'm sure that it will all work out right."

"Yes, mom." Ash said obediently.

"And don't forget to change your underwear!"

Ash sweatdropped. "Mom, I'm not a little kid anymore!"

"I know, but personal hygiene is very important, blah, blah, blah…"

After fifteen minutes of rant, Ash realized that his cell phone was running out of battery power.

"Mom, my power is almost up."

"Oh!" Delilah cut her diatribe short. "Well then, good-bye. I love you, Ash!"

"I love you too, mom." Ash said. He closed his cell and turned to the others. "Well, I guess that's that!"

* * *

"That was long!" Pika-chan said, holding up a timer.

"Pika-chan…" Ash said. "I can't believe you did that!"

"I was bored."

"Well, since you're free, can you recharge my cell phone?"

"What am I, a battery?" Pika-chan looked huffy, but she shot a couple volts of electricity into the phone. After a few seconds, it lit up, which meant that it was now fully charged.

Ash placed his pink cell phone back in his pack and hopped onto Ponyta. "Okay, let's see if we can get to Lavender Town!"

_Yeah!_ Ponyta said. She took off like a shot. Pika-chan fell off, but managed to catch up with them later.

* * *

(Hey Ash, that was uncalled for!)

(Sorry.) Ash replied. He petted her on the head. (Next time, you have to hang on tighter!)

Pika-chan's cheeks sparked but to her credit, she didn't shock him.

* * *

Meanwhile…

A pair of black eyes watched from behind glasses. Calculating looks were exchanged.

"He seems to have internalized power, Master. Are you sure it is wise to have him change the cards?"

"Yeah! I know Charlotte had to change hers, because her power is 'sun', not darkness, but his is starlight. Shouldn't it work?"

"No, Ruby. This has happened before. He must change them or they will run out of energy and… fade away."

* * *

Back to the other side…

"I'm cold." Pika-chan burrowed deeply into Ash's blue-and-white jacket.

"I thought you were partly a fire-type?"

"So?" Pika-chan went all puppy-eyed. Ash restrained himself from groaning and instead stroked her ears.

"Perhaps it is because we are nearing Lavender Town. The Tower seems to be… cold, in a way. Maybe we should hit the gym first?"

_I'm not sure I want to go to the tower…_ Ponyta said.

"Don't worry, you can stay in your poke ball."

_Okay_… If she hadn't been dedicated to Ash, Ponyta probably would not have listened at all and bolted in the opposite direction... But since she did trust him, she stayed put.

* * *

Ash was surprised when he saw the welcoming sight of a Pokemon Center perched near the edge of the town. He had used the Wand of the Water Guardian a lot in the past few days, to heal his pokemon after battles, but even that had its limit. And Pika-chan warned him against over-using magical items.

"I suggest we go to the pokemon center first. Maybe there will be a restaurant nearby!" Pika-chan said cheerfully.

"Good idea, Pika-chan."

Ponyta was recalled. Ash walked the rest of the way to the pokemon center, as not to attract attention.

"Hello." Nurse Joy said pleasantly when Ash handed her his pokemon. "Not many people come to this town. It's sad, really, but I'm happy to see a new face."

"I know. I heard there was a gym here."

"Oh, you mean the Seismic Gym? That's about five blocks away. It is a large building built out of granite, very shiny. You won't miss it. Are your pokemon seriously hurt or do they just need to be rejuvenated?"

"No, just rejuvenation." Ash said. "And I've got more than six."

"Fine by me." Nurse Joy said. She made two trips to the rejuvenator while Ash read a magazine. An article caught his attention.

"'Promising pokemon photographer caught dead in rockslide?'" He said incredulously.

Pika-chan stuck her head out of his backpack. "Oh. Wait a minute! Didn't you cremate Todd?"

"Must be someone else then." Ash looked at the picture. It was a teenage girl with long hair. He shrugged and flipped the page.

* * *

TR HQ

"I wonder why Ash hasn't sent me any more pokemon." Giovanni said. Vulpix (the card) was playing in the underground grass habitat with some of the other pokemon.

"I don't know, boss." Amy said. "Jake and I haven't been watching him much, since you sent us to steal all those Pokemon from the Ginger mansions."

"Well…" Giovanni rubbed his chin. His wire-tapping hadn't helped; absolutely no useful information had been given. Had his instincts proved him wrong? He had sensed Ash was one with potential, but…

"Keep a closer eye on him from now on."

"Yes, boss!" Amy said, saluting.

"And inform Jake of this plan. I need you there as a distraction. But the way you always lose must be remedied. I'll tell the pokemon controllers to send you each another pokemon."

Amy nodded as Giovanni wrote her a pass. As she walked down, she glanced at the paper to see what she was going to receive.

"Wow! I get a neo pokemon. Snubble, and Jake will get a Mankey!"

Amy skipped down to the basement with a lighter spring in her step. Ninetails poked its head out of the poke ball.

"We're going to be getting new partners, Ninetails! Isn't that great?"

Ninetails yawned.

* * *

Ash took back his poke balls. "Well, let's head to the Seismic gym." He said. Oddish perked up.

_Can I battle? I'm a grass-type, after all!_

"We'll see." Ash said. He turned to his pokemon cards. "Hmm… do any of you volunteer?"

(I'll do it.) A voice spoke up.

(Ah, it's Hypno. Psychic is good to fighting.) Pika-chan said.

"Very well." Ash said. He placed all his poke bells back on the belt and headed to the Seismic Gym.

When he arrived, the area was choke-full of junior trainers.

Ash sweatdropped. "I guess this will take a while…" He sat down to wait on a bench. Finally, the door to the leader's domain opened.

* * *

End Episode 33! *Cackles* Review nicely and I'll post the next chapter! Flames will be used to call Firey! Then, I'll set her loose on Nelvana's headquarters! Mwahahah! And since most people wanted me to just add chapters, that's what I'm going to do! *Smiles happily* Less work for moi!

Completed 12/4/02


	34. losses and gains

Yatta! Episode 34! *Authoress does a little dance of joy*

Ash: Hi!

Shadow: Hey! Didn't I lock you up so you would leave my muse alone?

Ash: What do you mean? I am your muse?

Shadow: *looks around nervously* Well, I guess.

Ash: Anyways, this is the next arc! You'll get to see me do all kinds of cool things, like change pokemon cards into-.

Shadow: Shh! You're giving away the plot!

Ash: *sheepish grin* Oops. Well, at least you're still writing. You know, some fics out there portray me as nothing more than the idiot.

Shadow: Well, in the anime, you're not exactly that appealing…

Ash: *big teary eyes*

Shadow: But I still write cool fics about you, right? Besides, I love the way they portray you in the manga.

Ash: *relieved look* Well, I guess that's it. People, thanx for reviewing, and if you didn't, Sunny will hunt you down and shock you! Ja ne!

Shadow: And that's the end of this little intro! *Winks*

* * *

Disclaimer: Pokemon is not mine. Destiny is. It's not that hard to understand. If you want to borrow anything, e-mail me. As long as you give me credit in your Author's notes, I'll probably say yes.

Disclaimer 2: I do now own CCS either, as it belongs to CLAMP, Kodansha…

Note: If you're a new reader, great! For your convenience, here are the symbols. ** Is thoughts, () is telepathy since the pit of voles won't let me use the old telepathy symbols, and _italics_ is translated poke speech!

Silver – thanks! But I already did that! It's already up!

John Eon – who said I wasn't going to continue? Of course I will!

Tmp – Yes, I know how to deal with the Vulpix situation… Hehehe…well, Ash does find out about the transforming card bit during his gym battle. Sorry! But he doesn't know what's wrong until later… going to have to wait a while for Todd to return, to give those people who don't' like him a break….

Pikacar/Marle – thanks! And yes, I did read your fic. Of course we need mysterious figures! *Smirks*

Goldfox133 – who said Giovanni was bad just because he runs TR?

Ranma – Hi! I'm not sure if I want to do Lance/Sabrina, since I'd rather do championshippy, but Lance isn't going to appear for a while. Sorry! But doing stuff with flames is fun! Besides, I still get some sometimes. *Growls*

Eevee64 – Your favorite fic on . Wow! I feel so proud…

The Eevee Master – oh no! Now you're all confused! Hmm… how can I help? I guess you can decide for yourself if Giovanni is 'good' or 'bad', I say he's both, but mostly good. And when is my fic _not_ a cliffhanger? Oh well. *Ducks behind shield of eevelutions to prevent from being attacked* Female photographer thing… you'll have to figure out yourself!

LadyHornetLinda – Wow, Thanks! I love getting e-mails from my readers! It's a great way to make shadowphantomness really happy!

The Pokemon Reader – I see! Don't worry, I will write more soon! It's just that it takes time to write and I'm chock-full of Hw all the time…

The Mistress of Richard Cox – A creampuff? Well, we all need some fluff from time to time… Photographer, Hehehe… not telling! *Hands her a candied apple* I love candied apples too!

Ihire – Yay! Another review! I love to write when I get encouragement!

Eevee99 – blushes "Thanks!"

* * *

Note: Oh, and just in case you guys didn't notice, I updated Dragon's Love too. *Poke, poke* and I'm sorry for not updating for so long… *Sobs* locked my account for a week and my internet was down too…

Episode 34: Losses and gains

* * *

The gym leader stepped out. It was a girl dressed in a vest made out of shiny pink material, over a white short-sleeved t-shirt and black jeans. She had light pink hair in two pigtails and black eyes.

"Hi! I'm Candice, the Seismic gym leader! As always, I'm open for battles from nine A.M. to two P.M. every day! And if there are any new challengers, please go to the front of the line!"

Ash blinked. He walked up to the front, but nobody else did. They all looked dejected.

"Good luck, kid." One hiker commented. "You'll need it."

"Joe is right." Another trainer said. This one was a fisherman. "Candice is hard to beat. I've lost to her ten times already."

"Okay. Thank you for your advice." Ash said. His fingers tightened on his poke balls.

"Shall we start?" Candice asked. She led Ash into the room and closed the door behind her. Bright light shone onto a platform in the center of the gym, like a boxing rink or a fighting pokemon stage.

"This is intense pokemon training, so don't think you're going to win easily. The trainer and pokemon have to fight together."

"Fine by me." Ash replied.

"Okay, in that case, as soon as the referee has finished his coffee break, this battle will now begin!" Candice said.

Soon, the referee appeared.

"Start!"

* * *

"Machoke, go!" Candice said.

"Oddish, I choose you!" Ash countered.

Oddish immediately started spraying sleep powder towards Candice and Machoke. Machoke yawned and began to doze off. Candice rubbed her eyes and pinched herself to stay awake.

"Machoke, Counter!"

"Vine whip restrain!" Ash sallied. Oddish nodded and two whips bound Machoke tightly. (Yes, I know Oddish normally can't learn vine whip but this one is special.)

"Machoke, Low kick!"

Oddish shrugged and hurled Machoke into a wall. It stayed there.

"All right, you won the first round." Candice said, recalling her pokemon. "Pretty good. But can you beat my next pokemon? Sandslash, Fissure!"

Oddish eeped and stood frozen in place as the fissure streaked towards it.

(Oddish, do something!) Ash shouted telepathically. But Oddish looked like it was hyperventilating, so Ash recalled it before it was hurt.

* * *

"Hypno, I choose you!" There was a flash of blue light and Hypno appeared in front of the Sandslash.

(Psychic.) Ash commanded. That should take it out.

Hypno obeyed, but for some obscure reason, the beam was totally off target and Sandslash took it out with Fissure.

"What?!" Ash was shocked. Hypno was a pokemon card! How could it lose so easily? Hypno sagged and resumed card form, landing in Ash's hands.

"Guess you're not such a hotshot trainer." Candice said.

"In that case, I'll use Alakazam!" Ash said. This psy pokemon was a lot more powerful than Hypno, and if she had a psycho Sandslash, he was sure Alakazam could take it out.

But Alakazam fared no better. So it was with a shocked look that Ash left the gym.

* * *

"Pika-chan, what's wrong? When I used the cards, they wouldn't respond. It was like they were dying or something!"

Pika-chan rubbed her chin. "I'm afraid that this may be more serious than anything we've faced before. When Clow died, he sealed off a good portion of dark energy to keep the cards alive. But now, that energy source is almost out and they can't draw any from you."

"Why?"

One of his poke balls popped open. Skymew appeared, before transforming into Sabrina, who regarded him carefully.

"Your power is 'star'. If you had darkness, then you could sustain them, but at this rate, I'm afraid there is nothing you can do…"

Ash looked so distressed that Pika-chan hastened to help. But there wasn't much she could do…

* * *

Later that night…

Rain fell, pouring over the land in rivers. The water level began to rise, slowly at first, but then quicker.

Pika-chan woke from her light sleep. She gasped. The water was already two inches past the sidewalk!

"Ash, wake up!" Pika-chan said, shaking the sleeping trainer awake. Ash had softly cried himself to sleep. Pika-chan finally had to resort to a thundershock.

Ash jumped up from bed, one hand on his necklace. "What is it?!"

"It's flooding! We have to get out of here! This isn't a normal rainstorm."

"Indeed." Sabrina said from behind them, causing Ash to jump. "That's Clow's aura…"

* * *

Ash tentatively reached out with his magic, and was surprised to find that it was, indeed, that comforting aura of darkness he had felt after the Final Judgment.

"Let's go out and check." He said. "Key that hides the power of the stars, reveal your true form before me! Your master under the seal of contract Ashura commands you, Release!" The gold magic circle formed under his feet, as usual, while wind energy whipped around him and the key glowed and extended into the staff.

"Wait! You forgot something!" Pika-chan said. She dragged Ash into a bathroom and presented him with an outfit.

"What?"

"I figure that you should wear this in memory of Todd. After all, he did help you on your quest a bit… and he had a lot of extras!"

Ash sweatdropped. "Okay…" The outfit turned out to be a dark blue cape and hood, trimmed with white, all waterproof. This went over a white long-sleeved t-shirt and pants trimmed with dark blue, and white rain boots. Todd had even thoughtfully included a pair of goggles that went over his eyes.

* * *

Ash dressed himself and then silently slipped out of the door of the pokemon center, with an illusion covering him so the cameras wouldn't spot him.

Sabrina and Pika-chan followed, also cloaked in invisibility. Pika-chan thoughtfully transformed into her 'Eternal Pikachu of Greatness' form and padded on behind him.

They decided to head up to the roof, since that was the safest place. Pika-chan flew Ash up on her back.

They were just looking around when the rain clouds suddenly parted and a great waterspout enveloped Ash.

"Ash!" Pika-chan and Sabrina shouted. They both flew over to aid him, but partway there they were struck with paralysis.

"I can't move!" Pika-chan said, shivering all over.

"This power…" Sabrina said softly.

"It must be…"

* * *

Ash shuddered as his air supply was cut off. * I can't die like this! And what will happen to Sabrina and Pika-chan? I have to find a way out of this! * A magic circle suddenly spun into being under his feet. Pika-chan and Sabrina both looked up.

"That's not Clow's magic circle!" Sabrina said, shocked.

Ash held up a card, spinning it in one hand. * Cards created by Clow, please work hard together with me! * He threw it into the air and struck it with his new staff.

"Moltres!" The wings on his staff suddenly expanded and glowed, as the card itself also glowed brightly. Moltres cawed and swiftly dissolved the typhoon, exploding the water all over the place.

"It worked!" Pika-chan cheered.

Ash stared at the card. "It changed…" Instead of the blue border and backing, the card was now white with a star on the top.

Pika-chan and Sabrina ran over. "Ash! Are you okay?"

"Pika-chan, Sabrina, this…" Ash did not get to finish his sentence before he fainted.

Sabrina caught him.

"Is he all right?" Pika-chan asked worriedly. She bounded over to take a closer look.

Sabrina sweatdropped. "He's… asleep."

Pika-chan fell over.

* * *

In the shadows…

"Not bad." A voice said. "This new magic will pave your future…"

But since Ash was unconscious, he did not hear this. Sabrina tensed and looked around, but she couldn't see anything. She sighed and followed Pika-chan back into the pokemon center.

Pika-chan tucked Ash into bed. Then, she turned to Sabrina.

"Do you know what is happening?"

"I cannot say for sure yet." Sabrina said, before she faded away into the poke ball.

Pika-chan nodded and kept vigil over Ash while he slept that night.

* * *

End Episode 34!

Hi! C&C accepted! Flames will be used to bring Firey to life so she can burn down Nelvana for me. *Cackling laughter* Mwahahaha!

Completed 12/18/02


	35. in which some important questions are an...

Episode 35! Woohoo!

P.S. Since I was not on for two weeks, I decided to post two chapters. Hope that makes you happy!

Cute lil' quote of the day: 'I'm not cool, and that's okay! My god loves me anyways!' from I'm not Cool, by Scott Krippayne.

Disclaimer: *waves a pendulum in front of her reader's eyes over and over* Chants. I own pokemon, I own pokemon, I own pokemon I own pokemon…

Disclaimer: *holds up stack of Clow Cards and Sakura cards* I'm going to burn down Nelvana so they don't own CCS anymore! Ohohohoho! But Clamp and Kodansha still have their rights!

Note: Day after Episode 34, Ash is still in the pokemon center. Poor guy seems to be getting sick. Awww, and remember, ** is thoughts, () is telepathy, and _italics_ is poke speech!

* * *

Episode 35: In which some important questions are answered

Sometime in the middle of the day, around noon, Ash woke up. He yawned. "Wow, the sun's bright. What time is it, Pika-chan?"

"Exactly one thirty-eight P.M." Pika-chan said primly.

Ash jumped. "What? But I never oversleep this late!" He immediately tried to jump out of bed, but found himself curiously tired.

"Don't move." Pika-chan said. "Sunny, please bring me the Wand."

Sunny trotted over to Ash's backpack. Rifling through it for a few seconds, she trotted back over with the Wand of the Water Guardian in her teeth.

"Thanks." Pika-chan said. She waved the wand over Ash for a few minutes, as its healing power began to work. Ash sighed in relief when he felt energy flooding back into his tired body, but he was unsure of why he was missing it in the first place.

"What's wrong with me?" Ash asked, perplexed.

"Why don't I show you?" Pika-chan suggested. "Here." She floated over to his backpack and took out the pokemon book. Opening the latch, the cards all floated out in swirling patterns, before laying themselves down on the floor neatly, in a circle pattern.

Pika-chan picked up the Moltres card. "Look." She said simply.

* * *

Ash stared. Instead of the normal blue backing and gold sun and moon on the front, there was now a golden star at the top of the card. And the magic circle on the back had changed to a ten-pointed star flanked by a moon and the sun, still in gold though. Most of all, the card was now white. Moltres itself also looked slightly different, it now had a golden star at its throat and one next to each of the three flames on its head.

"This is the only one that changed." Pika-chan said.

"Really!" Ash said.

"And the magic circle on the back of the card is like the one you used yesterday." Pika-chan stated.

"I remember… the wings expanded when I used Moltres last night." Ash said.

* * *

"This card, 'Moltres', is the card you changed from the original Clow card?"

"That means I created a 'Clow Card'?" Ash asked in disbelief, his mind whirling frenziedly. * That's impossible! I don't have that much magic! I can only do weak spells that Pika-chan teaches me, there's no way! *

(Then they should be called Ash cards!) Sunny piped up.

"Ash cards?"

(Why not!) Sunny said, wagging her tail. (This is so cool!)

"A-ano… Ash cards doesn't sound that good Sunny…"

(Then we'll call them Ash tree cards!) Sunny said cheerfully. Both Pika-chan and Ash fell over.

Sunny drifted off into her own little world for a bit.

* * *

"Ash, there's something else I need to talk to you about." Pika-chan said, suddenly turning solemn. "Last night, neither Sabrina nor I was able to help you when you were in danger."

"But that's over! I'm okay now!" Ash said, to reassure Pika-chan.

"No, I can't just disregard this important fact." Pika-chan suddenly looked very strange. "If Sabrina and I were in our false forms, then it would not matter, but both Sabrina and I were in our true forms! And you couldn't use the pokémon cards either."

"What does that mean?" Ash asked. Sunny had finally come out of her daze and was paying attention.

"To cause the Clow Cards to defect, and disable Sabrina and I so we couldn't move, besides the current pokemon card master Ashura there is only one person."

Who is it? Sunny questioned.

"Clow Reed."

* * *

Elsewhere…

"Come to me." The singsong voice intoned. The book of Sakura cards in the temple shook, before zooming through the protective barriers. The priest hid under a table and gaped as fifty-two cards detached themselves from the book, opening the lock with ease. They all floated out into the distance.

"Oh no!" The priest said, dismayed. To his shock, the force field suddenly dispersed. When he gathered up enough courage to enter, he saw the book lying open with a single card lying in it.

"The Hope…" But before he could say anything else, the book itself also took off, leaving Sage Chow there with nothing more than legends passed down through generations, and a single pink card lying in his trembling hands, that had fallen out.

* * *

"Are you okay?" A voice asked. Gary rubbed his aching head and looked up. There was a girl dressed in blue jean overall shorts and a pale yellow t-shirt. She had light purple hair in a ponytail, and brown eyes.

"Who are you?"

"My name's Cary. My Spinarak and I found you lying in the woods near my house, so I brought you back here."

"Thanks for your help." Gary said. He ached all over, like he had been through hours and hours of physical education class.

"No problem." Cary said, helping him up. "The bathroom is over there. My aunt has some soup on the stove ready for you. I hope you like Chicken Noodle soup."

Gary nodded and made adequate use of the restroom. When he was done showering and brushing his teeth, now dressed in a clean outfit, he headed out to the dining room.

"Hello." A voice said. It belonged to a lady in a dark brown dress and apron, carrying a plate of sliced ham. "I see you're up. That's good, you've been out for several days."

"Oh." Was all Gary managed to say. He sat down at the table, next to Cary, who was already there, pouring gravy over her mashed potatoes.

"Hungry?"

"As a bear." Gary replied. He piled his plate with sliced ham, two pieces of cornbread, mashed potatoes and gravy, and salad. He ate with a hearty appetite.

"So, Gary." Cary's uncle asked. "How did you wind up half dead in the woods?"

"Pokemon training." Gary replied. "My memory is very foggy, but I seem to remember fighting a very powerful pokemon.

"That's odd. I don't remember any really strong pokemon in this parts." Cary said, pouring herself a glass of water.

"Neither do I." Ed, her uncle put in. "It seems to me that most of the pokemon around here are just standard basic pokemon, like Caterpies, Weedles, and Pidgeys."

Gary shrugged. They ate in silence.

"You can stay here tonight." Cary told him with a cheerful smile. She led him back to his room. Gary found to his surprise that his bed had been made and aired while he had been watching T.V. with Cary and Ed.

"Thank you." Gary said. He climbed into bed, pulled on his purple pajamas, and soon fell asleep.

* * *

Now, back to the main group, a.k.a. the group at the pokemon center…

"Clow Reed? But…"

"Clow is dead." Pika-chan said. "We know that. But it is his aura that we felt last night."

"But how is this possible?" Ash asked.

"I don't know…" Pika-chan confessed. "Next time, if this occurs again, we will have to keep an eye on it."

Ash sighed. "Just when I thought that everything was over already…"

* * *

Sage Chow stared in disbelief at the spot the book had occupied mere moments ago. Something was dreadfully wrong, but he did not know what to do.

"I must contact the Card Master, and tell him/her of this. But how can I do that?" He looked around for something to help, but found nothing. Then, it occurred to him that he had no clue who the Card Master was.

Sage Chow finally lugged a basin of water into the area and began drawing a simple magic circle around it (and himself) out of white chalk. When the circle was complete, he sat inside and poured a drop of silver liquid into the water. The water turned cloudy and swirled for a few seconds, before a picture finally revealed itself.

Sage Chow saw a young boy, dressed in dark blue pajamas, sitting on a bed. He was talking to a Pikachu with wings on its back. There were other pokemon in the picture too, a Jolteon, a Pidgey, an Oddish, but the Pikachu seemed to be the most important one.

"Ah, so this is the new master. Where is he?"

As if in response, the picture shifted revealing an old, tattered sign with the words 'Lavender Town' written on it.

"Lavender Town?! I must hurry!" So, Sage Chow quickly packed his few belongings, pocketed the Hope card, and took along a plentiful supply of ofudas to protect himself from the evils he would encounter in the town.

* * *

Gary yawned as he climbed into bed. * Oh yeah, I have to call Gramps, tell him that I'm all right. I'll do that later. * He snuggled deep into the warm covers, grateful that they were heavy, because it was autumn and soon, the days would grow colder and shorter.

Eevee curled up next to Gary and slept on his pillow. Unlike Gary, her memory had not been altered, but she had no way of giving him the necessary information. There would be nothing she could do, so why worry about it?

* * *

Ash finally climbed out of the bed and headed to the bathrooms outside. He brought his necessary supplies with him, and took a long, hot bath with peach flavored bubble bath (Pika-chan splashed him while trying to keep a lookout). Then, he got out and dried himself off with his fluffy towel. Sunny brought his green backpack, just in case he wanted anything.

Ash dressed himself in dark blue jeans and a dark green t-shirt, before he put his blue-and-white league jacket on top. Then, he went downstairs to see if he could get some food.

"Can we go to the restaurant across the street?" Pika-chan asked, jumping up and down excitedly.

"Well… I'm sort of broke since I lost to Candice." Ash confessed. He looked sheepish.

(Maybe we shouldn't eat out until we have enough money.) Sunny suggested.

"But hospital food tastes bad! I know from experience!" Pika-chan protested.

* * *

"Let's just use the fruit basket!" Ash said. He pulled it out and requested poke food for all his pokemon, as well as peanut butter and banana sandwiches for himself and Pika-chan, French fries with ketchup, green salad, and sliced pears. The fruit basket was happy to oblige.

While they ate, Oddish kept a lookout for suspicious looking characters lurking around. But there were none.

"Maybe I'm just paranoid…" Ash said. "I guess that if I fight Candice again, I can't use my pokemon cards."

"You'll have to do it the hard way." Pika-chan affirmed. She petted him on the head. "Don't worry. I know you can do it."

Ash nodded as he ate.

And Sage Chow walked closer to Lavender Town.

* * *

End Episode 35! C&CC accepted! 9 reviews for faster updating! Flames will be used to call Loop, to trap Nelvana in time-space so they can't dub anymore! Yay!

Completed 12/18/02


	36. training and transforming

Wai, wai! Episode 36!

Disclaimer: Shadow does not own pokemon. It belongs to Nintendo, Game FREAK, 4Kids, Shogakukan comics.

Notes: Um… blank stare… Oh yeah. Indicates telepathy, ** indicates thoughts, and italics indicates poke speech thoughtfully translated into the English vernacular by your faithful, hardworking authoress!

Timeline: Right after Episode 35, in case you didn't know.

Note: Tracey doesn't come in until the Johto card arc, unless I feel like it. And I'm not feeling very charitably inclined towards him.

Note: The reason I didn't update for so long was because MY ACCOUNT WAS FROZEN! And now my Internet connection is broken so it will take longer to update. *Sighs* AND FROM 12/21 to 12/25 I had NO ACCESS!

Ranma – heh, first reviewer, as usual. Ash actually doesn't have the Sakura cards, since someone stole them from the shrine. Clow is VERY devious. Hmm… not planning anything with Yue, Ruby Moon or the others yet, but its intriguing. You'll have to wait until Ash gets back – wait, that's a spoiler! Never mind. Yes, he could probably change the Sakura cards because they have the same magic. I don't think Ash wants Pink cards, Hehehe…

Tmp – Because then there would be no point to the Ashura cards arc! Plus lots of energy is required to transform cards, it really drains his magic. Yes, Sage Chow was based on the monks in the G/S/C Gameboy games. The Sakura cards are from the actual timeline of Card Captor Sakura; they are what Sakura changes the clow cards into. Destiny will make another appearance soon.

Pikacar/Marle – 2 reviews, yippee! It would be good if you had some knowledge of Card Captor Sakura, but its not required… Don't worry, your writing style improves with time, I mean, look at me, I started writing 2-3 yrs. Ago…

Ivan, Derek, and Tracey – THANK YOU! 3 new reviewers! Yep, Pika-chan is really kawaii!

Eevee99 – No, I didn't forget you, but due to ff.net freezing my account and very bad Internet connection (works for about 5 minutes every day), I was unable to update.

Mistress of Richard Cox – I wish I had a fruit basket too! No, I've never even heard of the anime, is it good? *Blushes* Wow… thanks for the compliment!

The Eevee Master – Hehehehe! Yep, Candice is really lucky. See above to see why Shadow could not update. *Sobs*. Actually, Fissure works pretty well for me *smirks*. Yes, I know Ash lost, but at least there's a reason for it! *Unlike some fanfics* A-ano means But. You're right. I will update as soon as my Internet allows. *Hands you a peanut butter sandwich* would you like marshmallows, banana slices, or honey with that?

Satoshi - *Smiles at compliments* But Ash is changing the cards!

SnowTiger – wow, I'm happy! Hmm… yes, you should read the fics to find out more about Destiny. *Sighs* And yes, Todd will mysteriously reappear!

Episode 36: Training and Transforming

            Ash, feeling better after two days of rest (Pika-chan had to practically tie him to the bed in order to get him to stay there), was walking down the streets of Lavender Town. He wanted to go check out the Pokemon Mart and see if they had anything.

            "Hi, may I help you?"

            Ash turned to the salesperson. "Hello. I was wondering if you have any maps? I get lost sometimes."

            The salesman laughed and pointed to a rack. "There you go. Anything else? Poke balls or potions, maybe? Antidotes? Repel? That might come in handy if you're going to wander around."

            Ash picked out a very dusty map of the Pokemon Tower. He wanted to go check it out.

            "Do you have snacks?"

            "Well… since there isn't a general store close by, you might want to try out Brenda's Kitchen. It's about four blocks away. This is a pretty small town, so we don't get a lot of business."

            "Thanks." Ash said. He paid for his map and two Escape Ropes. Then, he headed down the street to Brenda's Kitchen.

            Pika-chan was playing solitaire on Ash's pokédex. "Darn! I lost again. Aw…"

            Sunny looked up from where she, Oddish, and Skymew were occupied in a rousing game of poker. 

            Feeling a bit frustrated, Pika-chan? Skymew asked.

            "Of course! I'm going to go out and find Ash! Say, where did Storm and Ponyta go?"

            _Storm is taking care of the Dratini that some breeder brought in today. I didn't like him. Ponyta's probably with Ash, and Pidgey is outside, hunting for bugs._ Oddish spoke up.

            Yuck. Skymew said, thinking how revolting it would be if she was forced to eat a bug.

            Pika-chan' s expression mirrored hers. "Well then, I'm going! See ya!" She flapped her wings and flew out of the window.

            Sage Chow continued his walk towards Lavender Town. He was feeling rather tired and decided to rest in the forest for a while.

            Ash smiled contentedly when he entered Brenda's Kitchen. The air smelled of spicy pumpkin pie, and there were aisles of food. He could see a bakery/deli section off to one side.

            Ash happily headed over to the deli/bakery section first. There was a young woman in an apron there, putting cookies on display.

            "Hello!" Ash said.

            "Hi, welcome to Brenda's Kitchen." She said. "Can I help you?"

            "What kind of cookies do you have?" Ash asked, noticing that there were no signs.

            "Oh, it depends. We have different kinds every day. Let's see, today is Thursday, so we have chocolate chip, peanut butter, and oatmeal raisin cookies." She said. "We also have fresh apple pie and banana cream pie. If you want donuts instead, he have glazed, powder sugar, and chocolate."

            "Cool!" Ash said. He ended up buying four-dozen cookies as well as a pie. When Pika-chan met him at the door, he was ready.

            Pika-chan got all starry-eyed when she saw the food. "Sugoi…"

            "These will last us until we get to Saffron, hopefully." Ash said as he handed her a cookie. Pika-chan munched and nodded at the same time.

            Of course, she ended up coughing when the cookie crumbs went down her windpipe. Ash pounded her on the back until she recovered.

            "Why don't we go training, then?" Ash asked when they had finished. "I need to practice."

            "Yes, your transforming skill is, alas, rather mediocre." Pika-chan said sadly.

            Ash's eyes narrowed in mock anger and he shrouded the cookies in invisibility. Pika-chan found herself holding nothing but empty air.

            "Hey!" Pika-chan said, looking around frantically for the sweets. Ash smirked as he discreetly slipped the boxes into his backpack.

            Pika-chan huffed. "Well, it's true."

            "I know." Ash said. "So, I guess it's just us two, right?"

            "Right! Skymew is at the center, and Sabrina doesn't like being woken up for no reason." Pika-chan said. "She's not a people person."

            "I noticed." Ash said dryly. "Shall we go?"

            The two trotted off towards the forest, Pika-chan perched on Ash's shoulder, looking like a toy.

In a forest clearing, about half an hour later…

            Ash groaned as Pika-chan zapped him with a Thundershock. He had tried transforming into Pidgey so he could sneak past her (they were playing hide and seek), but after about six minutes, the transformation had worn off and he had started falling. He landed in a tree, and Pika-chan had taken advantage of his trapped state to shock him, laughing all the while.

            "It's not funny! Why can't I do this?" Ash asked.

            "Maybe it's just not your magical talent." Pika-chan suggested. "After all, your forte seems to be illusions and offensive/defensive spells, not subtlety, teleportation, or other 'psychic' powers."

            "Well, you're the one who wants me to do this." Ash said. He sighed as he closed his eyes and formed the mental image of a Geodude. "Okay, Pika-chan, let's try this again. Close your eyes and count to ten."

            Pika-chan obediently closed her eyes and began counting slowly. "One, two, three…"

            Ash opened his eyes three seconds later, to find that the transformation had been successful. He happily floated off and hid in the bushes.

            "Nine, ten!" Pika-chan called. "Ready or not, here I come!" She began flitting around, looking for Ash. 

            Ash sighed in relief as she flew over his head. It seemed that the level fifteen spell; Aura Shield was still up, so she couldn't find him because of magic aura. Also, there were wild pokemon out in the woods that would probably conflict with her senses.

            Pika-chan hummed as she looked around. He didn't seem to be in the air this time. It was a smart choice, since she could have easily zapped him and forced him to reverse his transformation.

            Ash yawned seven minutes later. Maybe he could get the hang of this after all. He still didn't see why he couldn't just use his cards to transform instead of learning it the hard way, but if that was the way Pika-chan wanted it, fine. * Oh wait; I can't use my cards because they're almost out of energy, so the only way is if I change them. * Ash thought, a bit sadly.

            Suddenly, Ash sneezed.

            Pika-chan grinned and dived into the bush. Ash glared at her balefully, but her Thundershock didn't do anything, since he was still a Geodude.

            "Pretty good, Ash. I wouldn't have found you if you hadn't sneezed." Pika-chan said. 

            "That's good." Ash said. * At least I'm getting better. *

            "Why don't we take a short break now?" Pika-chan suggested. "I'm sure we could both use some relaxation."

            "Sounds good to me." Ash said. He unpacked the cookies he had bought at Brenda's Kitchen earlier and they each had some cookies. Ash would have called his mom, but he was saved from doing so when his cell phone rang. Ash set down his cookies and turned it on.

            "Hello. Ash Ketchum here." 

            "Hello, Ash. This is Giovanni. Where are you? I need to talk to you about your Vulpix."

            "What's wrong with her?" Ash asked as he shot Pika-chan a look.

            "She was fine until a few days ago. Suddenly, out of the blue, she just seemed to lose energy and fall over. Our doctors are working hard to try and reach the root of the problem, but we do not seem to be having any luck. She is in what seems like suspended animation right now, she is not getting worse, but I don't know what we can do."

            Ash gasped. Then he remembered that since Vulpix was a card, she was undoubtedly feeling the energy drain he had indirectly caused by having the wrong magic type. The only way to fix the problem would be to change Vulpix into an, 'Ash card'.

            "Can I come see her?" Ash asked.

            "I suppose so." Giovanni said. "Right now, she's at the gym in Viridian City. Why don't you drop by when you have time?"

            "All right. Thanks for calling." Ash said. He hung up.

            "Come on, Pika-chan. We're going to Viridian to see Vulpix!"

            "Aren't you forgetting something?" Pika-chan asked.

            "What?"

            "Unless you change one of the cards, we can't go until you go back to the poke center and reclaim Storm and the others. We have to Fly to Viridian, you know. It will take way too long to walk there."

            Ash sighed. "I know. Let's go back to the poke center then."

            "Well, I guess our training ends now." Pika-chan said. She hopped into his backpack and Ash started walking back to Lavender Town.

            Let's see what Gary has been doing…

            "Bellsprout, use Poison Powder!" Cary called to her little plant pokemon.

            "Arcanine, Quick Attack!" Gary was helping Cary train her pokemon, as part payment for taking care of him, plus temporary room and board.

            Arcanine nodded and rammed into Oddish. Unfortunately, this caused it to be hit straight in the eyes with Poison Powder.

            "Oops. I didn't mean to do that!" Cary said, brown eyes widening in concern. "Is your Arcanine okay?"

            Gary recalled his Arcanine. * Wow, someone actually beat me! She has potential; maybe she'd like to be one of my cheerleaders. *

            "Yeah, I think so." Gary said. "That was a good shot."

            "Thanks!" Cary said. They shook hands, before heading inside. 

            "So who won?" Cary's uncle asked.

            "I did!" Cary said. "I actually won!"

            "That's a good girl." Ed said, patting her on the head. 

            "By the way, do you have a phone? I need to call my grandfather." Gary said. Ed indicated the black, old-style phone on the counter.

            Gary thanked him and called Professor Oak.

            And after a six-hour nap, Sage Chow began walking towards Lavender Town again.

End of Episode 36! Please review! Comments and Constructive Criticism are great! Flames will be used to fry the evil egg. I think you know whom I'm talking about. *Glares* Oh, and some people e-mail me w/rude comments; I'm getting insanely angry. Oh, and some people have been trying to copy my ideas too, Shadow's getting very angry. If you want to borrow an idea, pokemon, or attack, ASK ME!


	37. a case of musical mayhem

Hi! Shadow here! Welcome to my world!  
  


Disclaimer: Pokemon belongs to Nintendo, Game Freak, 4Kids, Shogakukan Comics, etc. Destiny is mine, the pokemon cards/Ash cards are mine, the idea is mine… you know the drill.

Timeline: A day after episode 36

Notes: indicates telepathy, ** indicates thoughts, _italics_ indicates pokemon speech.

Ranma – Yes, Ash will have quite a bit of trouble, Hehehehe… you will find out very soon. Are you burning Togepi or me?

Satoshi (Ash) – You seem happy. As for your other reviews, thanks! Are you by any chance homophobic? Oh well, don't like darkfic? Then steer clear of the rest; I think this is the only happy one…

Silver – Thanx! *Smiles happily*

Tmp – no, Ash won't meet Todd in viridian. Yep, Ash knows pokemon transformations now! Um, it's a spell… Sugoi = Yay! Basically…

SnowTiger – I love thick plots! Yep, Todd won't be MIA for long.

Lazyname – I hate SAT too! I'm going to keep writing, spells depend of course!

Pikacar/Marle – Don't worry about Vulpix, help is on the way! Save the Vulpix!

The Eevee Master – I make you think about food? It's a compliment! Ash will get to Viridian soon, but he can ride Storm, remember? Sugoi = Good, cool, etc. *Hands you a huge plate of cookies, a pie, three sandwiches, and a cute little stuffed Pika-chan doll* Gary + Cary = trouble on the horizon

Notes: SORRY! Had no Internet access for one week! *Growls* Plus ff.net was down for a while. Right now, my Internet's REALLY shaky, so I'll probably only update once a week…

Episode 37: A Case of Musical Mayhem

            Somewhere else, a shadowed figure held a glowing card in its hands. "Release." It whispered, and a card flashed, as a slim, light purple figure darted through time and space, landing in the Kanto region. In Lavender Town, to be exact…

            Sage Chow stirred briefly in his sleep, but did not wake. The figure paused briefly to put a hand to his forehead, before shaking its head in disgust and leaving as quickly as it had appeared.

            In the forest, Gary and Cary both slumbered on, unaware. Cary's family slept soundly too. None knew that anything out of the ordinary had happened.

            Storm yawned as she awoke. The sky was still dark. She wished that Ash wasn't undergoing all of these magical tasks now. But it couldn't be helped. Storm took a sip of water from the pond in the poke center habitat and fell asleep again.

            Not even Pika-chan awoke, for she was a heavy sleeper. Sabrina might have awoken, but she was tired out from Ash's magical ventures.

            So nobody noticed… until the next day

            "Come on, Ash! Rise and shine!" Pika-chan called. Ash continued to sleep, oblivious and unaware of Pika-chan's loud shouting.

            "I guess I'll have to do this the hard way." Pika-chan said, sighing. Her cheeks sparked as she let off a Thunderbolt. 

            Ash shrieked as he woke up. His hair sizzled for a few seconds before Ash realized that it was Pika-chan and let go of his necklace.

            "Couldn't you just wake me up normally?" Ash asked.

            "Why?" Pika-chan asked innocently.

            "Because then I wouldn't feel like a light bulb." Ash said, as he staggered off to the bathroom. Pika-chan shrugged and began searching Ash's backpack for some victuals. Finding the pie he had bought, she cut herself a hefty wedge and began to eat. When Sunny came over, Pika-chan cut her a slice too.

            Wow, this is pretty good. Sunny said. 

            Maybe Skymew would like some too. Pika-chan agreed. They released Skymew, who was more than happy to consume half of the pie and do some stretching exercises while flying around.

            When Ash exited the restroom, he was unpleasantly surprised to discover that the pie had been speedily taken care of and only a small slice was left.

            "Pika-chan! What about _my_ breakfast?" Ash wailed.

            "Well, you could always eat the hospital food!" Pika-chan said, as she finished her portion.

            "A plague on you." Ash muttered as he ate his slice. At least it was bereft of teeth marks. Ash could not tolerate eating food with teeth marks on it, as he considered it to be unsanitary.

            After they had finished their quick meal, with some help from the fruit basket, which had provided some milk and applesauce, Ash requested Storm's help to fly them to Viridian. Storm was more than happy to comply with his simple request.

            _Hop on!_ Storm said. Ash climbed on, followed by Sunny, who refused to go into her poke ball, Pika-chan, who hopped into his backpack, and Skymew, who floated next to them in a clear blue bubble.

            And so they headed towards Viridian.

            Ash sighed as he looked at the blue sky, with only a few puffy cumulus clouds floating around. It was September, but the weather was still rather mild, no rain or snow yet, except for the freak storm that had been caused by magical intervention. 

            Pika-chan sighed. The sky was so pretty! Sunny looked rather green around the gills, possibly because as a Jolteon she wasn't used to flying, so Ash recalled her to the ball to prevent airsickness and possible upchucking. 

            Skymew was having the time of her life. Ah, this is wonderful! My natural element! It's just like home. She proclaimed as she floated around, enjoying the cool wind and fresh air. 

            Ash smiled as he ruffled Pika-chan's fur. "It is nice, isn't it? Too bad we can't do this too often, it attracts too much attention."

            "What a nice scene…" A sinister voice spoke. "Too bad, it must be interrupted soon."

            "Master, are you sure this is wise? What if something happens? Injuries too grievous to heal…"

            "Of course. Don't worry. And if he gets hurt, well, we ensured that the Wand would be there."

            Ash began to drift off as he clung on to Storm. To prevent any of them from falling off, Ash enacted a faint psy shield around them, before closing his eyes. 

******Flashback mode ************************************************

            Delilah sat at the window, listening to a beautiful song play on the radio.

            "That's so pretty." The seven-year old Ash said. "What song is it?"

            Delilah smiled faintly. "That was my favorite song when I was dating David, my chemistry lab partner in college."

            "Oh…" Ash said. Then, he had another thought. "What happened to David?"

            Delilah sighed as she picked him up. "It didn't work out."

            "Why?"

            "Well, after we graduated, David got a job with Silph Co. that kept him too busy to visit me. I guess we just… drifted apart. Then, I found out that he was dating a researcher named Amy, so I decided not to pursue him any more." Delilah stopped. Why was she telling Ash this? He was just a child.

            But Ash simply looked at her with his big innocent eyes. "That's sad, mommy. It's not very fair."

            "I know." Delilah said. "But now I have you, so I don't need a man in my life. Don't worry about it, Ash dear."

            Ash nodded. "So, does this song make you sad?"

            Delilah shook her head. "I accepted my loss a long time ago. It's not good to dwell upon the past, you know."

            "Oh." Ash closed his eyes and listened to the music quietly for the remainder of the song.

            Delilah hummed to herself, as Ash fell asleep in her lap. "Don't worry, Ash, I'll never leave you." She whispered.

            Ash stirred in his sleep.

            Delilah smiled and carried him upstairs. "Time for bed." She said. She tucked him in, and went downstairs. Then, she began to sweep the floor.

            Since Ash was sleeping, he didn't see the tears in her eyes.

**************End Flashback*****************************************

            Ash yawned as he woke up. Storm was already flying over the buildings, searching for the pokemon center.

            "There it is!" Pika-chan said.

            Skymew flew out of a cloudbank, where she had been munching. Now, she felt much better and was ready for some adventure.

            So, where is the Viridian Gym anyways? 

            "That big building down there. It's usually closed though." Ash said. "Do you see it, Storm?"

            Yes, and I'm going to start diving now, so hold on tight." Storm said. True to her word, she quickly shot down like a bullet.

            "Yahoo! This is better than a roller coaster!" Ash said as he hung on for dear life. Pika-chan nodded and clung onto his jacket.

            Just to make it more fun, Storm did some loop-de-loops and somersaults before she landed in front of Viridian gym.

            But by then, both Ash and Pika-chan were looking a quite attractive shade of pea green. Ash quickly tossed her a bottle of water while he took a few deep breaths to settle his stomach. Pika-chan floated around slowly for a few minutes, to clear her spinning head, before she returned to normal.

            "Wow, that was quite a ride." Ash said.

            "I agree." Pika-chan said. Then, they tried the door of the Earth Gym, but to their annoyance, it was locked.

            Ash knocked. After a few moments, a surly-looking man dressed in rumpled pajamas stuck his head out.

            "Gym doesn't open until noon! Get out of here!" And with that statement, the door was slammed in his face.

            "Well, that was a rude man!" Pika-chan said. "How impolite!"

            "In that case, we'll just have to wait." Ash said. "Let's go to the ice cream parlor then."

            "Yay!" Pika-chan cheered.

            Skymew's form blurred, and she transformed into a Meowth. Ash picked her up and set her on his other shoulder. "Let's go!

            The small group headed to the ice cream parlor, where Ash ordered six ice creams for himself and two each for the other two pokemon, plus a tub of Artic Freeze flavor for Storm, as a thank-you gift. 

            Storm accepted her tub and began eating happily. Everyone else also pigged out until they were full. Ash hummed as they ate. He felt rather happy, and soon he would go and see Vulpix and take care of her, so all was well.

            They were just getting ready to leave when Ash tensed.

            "Did you feel that?"

            "Clow's aura…" Pika-chan replied. They both glanced around, but saw nothing suspicious… until a piano forced itself through the brick wall of a nearby music store and charged them.

            "Ponyta, go!" Ash said. He hopped on, grabbing Pika-chan by the scruff on her neck, and took off. The piano followed.

            "What's going on?" Ash asked as they ran along. "Release!" His key grew into staff form and he grabbed it with one hand.

            "I have no idea!" Pika-chan replied. 

            Soon, they were nearing a cliff edge. Ash gulped. 

            "Wait, I think I know." Pika-chan said. "It's reacting to the song you're humming!"

            "Ah." Ash said. "That's the song mom used to play. But I think I know what to do." He selected a card from the pile, and threw it into the air, striking it with his staff. "Card created by Clow, please accept this new star power and take your new form! Your new master Ashura commands you, Release! Jigglypuff!" The wings on his staff extended and briefly touched the card, before the card turned white and activated.

            The small balloon pokemon popped out and began to sing. Pika-chan noticed that there was now a small white star on its forehead, but she didn't comment.

            Jigglypuff sang soothingly, the same song that Ash was humming. As they watched in anxiety, the piano suddenly flew off the cliff, heading for the sound. But as soon as it had left solid ground, it plunged into the canyon below.

            Ash and Pika-chan both leaned over anxiously, but the piano did not rise again.

            "Hey, that was good thinking." Pika-chan said. "There's just one problem."

            "What?"

            "How are you going to explain the situation?"

            Ash selected a second card and threw it out, impatiently shaking his head to throw off the feeling of dizziness. 

            "Abra, change their memories!" Ash said. Abra hummed as it also appeared and was changed, the new card had Abra with a star beneath its throat. Ash smiled faintly before he toppled over.

            Pika-chan dived forward and caught him. Ash was asleep again. She sighed and began carrying him back to the poke center, with Ponyta's help.

End Episode 37!

You know, that review button at the bottom looks so cute! Why don't you pet it? And while you're at it, leave a review! Even one-liners are okay. Flames will be used to create Watery, so she can drown the evil entity know as Nelvana. Ohohohoho!


	38. a visit to Vulpix and some odd dreams

Episode 38!

I need a replacement for Todd… maybe I should bring him back to life… yeah, wait, I'm doing that anyways!

Disclaimer: SHADOW DOES NOT OWN POKEMON. DESTINY IS MINE, as are the ideas and cards, chants, staffs, etc. Please do not steal. Otherwise, if I catch you, the penalty is pretty high.

Ranma – hi! *Smiles* Mysterious cloaked figures running around messing with our hero's head = trouble! Well, the gym visit is going to be pretty turbulent… *Smiles* Die Togepi! 

Trutenor – Thank you! *Waves* New reviewer!

Matthias –8888 – It's to discourage people from flaming me, dear. Thanks! It's hard to think up all the chapters…

Pikacar/Marle – well, as you use magic you become stronger. But yes, Moltres was harder since it's one of the big four cards. The light purple figure was the Clow/sakura card 'Voice'. The process does get a bit easier as time progresses, but Ash needs to rest…

SnowTiger – okay, I can do this. There are 3 Ashura cards so far, and for his actual pokemon, he has, in order, Storm (dragonair), Ponyta, Butterfree, Pidgey, Oddish, Sunny (Jolteon), and Skymew. He'll get more pokemon later! Happy New Year! Oh, and I keep track by making little lists of pokemon I've used in the story so I don't get messed up… This is going to be a very long story, right now, I have the Card Captor Arc done, and I'm working on the Ashura cards arc. There will also be an arc titled 'Gateway/Dark Apprentice', the Johto arc, and of course, the Houen arc (once I get the game that is).

The Pokemon Reader – thank you! It'll get even better!

STK – Wai! Nice review! *Smile*

Satoshi – oh, I see. Sorry. Thanx for reviewing though!

The Mistress of Richard Cox – ah, I see. How very perceptive of you! Some people don't know enough Japanese, so I just use a little bit. However, I may use more in the future. Pika-chan fangirl? Right on! *Hands over a stuffed pika-chan plushie*

Episode 38: A visit to Vulpix and some odd dreams

            Pika-chan watched anxiously as Ash slept. He looked so fragile, even though she knew that it wasn't true, Ash was already twelve…

            Pika-chan? A timid little voice asked.

            Pika-chan looked up and saw Pidgey hovering near the bed. "Yes, Pidgey?" 

            Pidgey seemed to fidget in midair, the gold feathers on her body that marked her as a magic-type pokemon catching the light and refracting it. Is Ash going to be okay? He's been spending a lot of time sleeping lately… 

            "Pidgey, it's a complicated situation."

            Can you tell me? 

            Pika-chan considered. Well, it wouldn't hurt. It wasn't as if Pidgey was going to blab about the situation to anybody else.

            "All right. I'll start from the beginning. You know that Ash was born possessing magical powers and the ability to understand pokemon and be emphatically bonded to them. He released the pokemon cards and therefore began the task of recapturing them. You knew about this, since you were his pokemon while he was still catching them. Correct?"

            Pidgey nodded.

            "Well, then, after he finished capturing all the cards, he had to pass the Final Judgment. During that period, we found out that he was Destiny. You were there too, so you know about that too. When he defeated Sabrina, we were quite certain that this magical ordeal was over and he could continue on his pokemon journey normally."

            So why is he having problems now? 

            "As it turned out, Ash is unable to support the pokemon cards with his magic power. That is because he has the magic type, 'star', while the pokemon cards were created with 'darkness' magic. Therefore, Ash is required to change a card to star type before he can activate it. Once changed, the cards can survive on his energy. However… changing a card, or any other magical venture, usually takes a large amount of magical energy. This is why Ash is so tired after he changes a card."

            Oh. Pidgey said. A minute later, she was struck by a sudden thought. But I'm a magic-type pokemon. So why aren't I feeling the same drain as the cards? 

            "Because it was due to Ash that you evolved to a magic type. When you evolved, you latched onto his magic, star-type, not the dark-type the cards were. That's why you're fine."

            I think I understand now. Pidgey said.

            "Good." Pika-chan said. She pulled out a chessboard. "Ash is still sleeping, and I'm bored, so why don't we play chess?"

            Okay! Pidgey said. She perched herself on the slick tile floor next to Pika-chan and they set up the pieces.

            "YOU TOLD MY SON TO SCRAM?!" Giovanni shouted at the guard.

            "I didn't know!" The sleazy man protested. "I thought he was some trainer on his way to get a badge!"

            "Well, did you even listen to his explanation of why he was here? Or did you just slam the door in his face?"

            "Er, no, I didn't ask…"

            Giovanni growled. "Take him away." He barked to two Dan'in, who were standing by.

            "Yes sir!" They saluted and left. 

            "No! I'm innocent!" The man screamed as he was dragged off.

            "Impudent man." Giovanni said. He settled himself in his chair and petted his Persian on the head. "Well, maybe when he comes, we can have a real heart-to-heart talk. After all, if I marry his mother…"

            Persian purred.

            "Yes, I know we shouldn't hold it in the fall, but I don't want to wait until next summer. Maybe spring… she is a very fine woman, though. One in a million, strange why she wasn't snapped up sooner…"

            Giovanni drifted off into thought.

The next morning…

            Ash yawned. "Wow, I feel much better. What time is it, Pika-chan. Pika-chan?" He looked out the window and noticed that it was still dark outside. A glance at the clock on the wall confirmed the hour as four forty-five A.M.

            "Why am I up at this ungodly hour?" Ash asked no one in particular. He sighed, took a sip of water from the glass by his bed, and forced himself to fall asleep again.

***************************Dreamscape**********************************

            In the dream, Ash was standing on a high tower. He finally identified it as the pokemon tower in Lavender Town.

            Pika-chan, in her chibi form, floated by his side. Sabrina was nowhere to be seen. In his hands, he held his new staff, the moon and star flanked by wings. Drifting past him on the waves of the wind were the pokemon cards.

            "What's happening?" He heard himself ask. He would have said more, but then he saw another form appear.

            Someone… cloaked in long robes, a staff in their hands, face shadowed, but it was male…

            Ash gripped his wand tighter. In the distance, he could hear the sound of bells ringing, filling the night with sound. 

            There were no stars in the sky. A blank expanse of dark was all that met his eye. And when Ash looked to his side, he saw that Pika-chan was also being consumed by the darkness.

            "Pika-chan!" Ash shouted.

            He whirled his staff around, ready to activate a card. But as he moved to form the words, he froze. 

            The last sight he saw before he woke up was that of three cards floating solemnly in front of him. Moltres, Jigglypuff, and Abra.

            The cards that he had changed…

**********************End Dreamscape************************************

            "IIE!" Ash shrieked as he became drenched with cold water. He came up, coughing and spluttering.

            Pika-chan dusted off her hands and put the bucket down. Nearby, Skymew floated, giggling.

            "Rise and Shine, sleepyhead! Did you get a good night's sleep?" Pika-chan asked. "You should have, you slept for sixteen hours."

            "What?" Ash asked in disbelief.

            "I'm not pulling your leg! It's true!" Pika-chan told him. "Right after you changed Abra yesterday, you blacked out!"

            "Oh." Ash said. He shook his hair, sending water droplets flying every which way. As he fully awoke, he realized that he had completely forgotten his dream.

            "Why are you looking so puzzled?" Pika-chan asked.

            "I had a strange dream last night…"

            "What was it about?" Pika-chan asked in interest. "Some mages develop the power to see the future through dreams."

            "I can't remember…"

            Pika-chan fell out of the air. "Well, it must not have been a prophetic dream then." She said as she jumped up again.

            Excuse me, but I'm hungry. Skymew piped up.

            "Oh yeah!" Ash said. He pulled out the fruit basket. Soon, they were all full, with the exception of Skymew, who was still eating.

            "Still hungry?" Ash asked.

            Skymew blushed. "I'm just feeling very hungry lately." She said.

            "Well, that's okay. The fruit basket will give you as much as you want. I'm going to see Vulpix now." Ash said. 

            See you later! Pidgey chirped as she polished off the last bits of birdseed and blueberries. * Ah, this is the life, easy battles, free food, and a great trainer. *

            Oddish tried to wave, but not possessing any arms, it waved its leaves instead. Ash nodded and left, Pika-chan perched on his shoulder.

            "Does Giovanni have any magic?" Pika-chan wanted to know.

            "I don't know. Why don't you zap your wings away just in case." Ash suggested. "After all, it's better to be safe than sorry."

            Pika-chan did and they headed off to the Gym.

            A few minutes later…

            Ash rang the doorbell to the gym.

            Giovanni looked up from his poached eggs and toast. Sighing, he slid his tray underneath his desk and pressed the automatic door opener.

            The doors of the gym slid open.

            Ash came in and looked around. "Giovanni? Are you here?"

            Giovanni walked down from his platform. "Yes, Ash. Here, let me take you to see your Vulpix." He took Ash's hand and led him to an elevator. They went down three floors. On the third floor, they dismounted.

            Ash looked around. The area resembled a pokemon center, only there were people reclining in some of the beds, with broken arms or legs in slings. So it was a human hospital as well.

            "Where's Vulpix?"

            "We had to place her in the intensive care unit." Giovanni said apologetically, leading him down to another section. "You'll have to shower and disinfect first before going in. And your Pikachu will have to do the same."

            "I understand." Ash said. He and Pika-chan went and showered, before dressing in the special clothes that were provided.

            Ash gasped when he saw Vulpix. She lay completely still in a little bed, hooked up to a variety of machines and an I.V. stand. Her heartbeat was still normal, and she was breathing, said the doctor, but there was no brain activity.

            "I'm afraid she may be no more than a vegetable, unless we can find some way to repair the neurological damage done." Doctor Mullins said.

            "Can I be alone with her for a few minutes?" Ash asked in a choked voice.

            The good doctor allowed him fifteen minutes and went to get some coffee.

            Ash closed the door. "Pika-chan, are there surveillance cameras anywhere? I don't want this to be on tape."

            Pika-chan scanned the area. "Only one, over in the upper left-hand corner, by the curtains."

            "All right." Pika-chan scurried over and began cutting the wires with her sharp teeth. When she was done, she nodded to Ash.

            "Key that hides the power of the stars, reveal your true form before me! Your master under the seal of contract Ashura commandeth you, Release!" The magic circle formed, as usual. Ash reached out and picked up his staff.

            "Card created by Clow, please accept this new star power and take your new form! Your new master Ashura commands you, Release!"

            Vulpix shivered, before turning into card form. But the card looked like it was in bad condition, with a scratch here and a tear there.

            "Oh my." Pika-chan said.

            Ash wasn't quite done yet. He transformed into Destiny, and put his hands over the card. "Heal." He whispered, as pale blue light covered Vulpix and healed her. When Ash activated Vulpix again, she was healthy and perky as ever.

            Ash smiled, before he blacked out.

            Pika-chan groaned. This was not good. She put Vulpix back on the bed, sat down and waited for Doctor Mullins to return.

End Episode 38!

Yahoo! Review or else I'll sic Tomo-chan on you! Flames will be used to make pancakes, yum! Or, if I get a lot, I'll use them to create Windy so she can strangle Nelvana! Kakakakakaka!

Note: Not going to update for at least a week, because of Finals…


	39. Recovery and revalations

Episode 39! *Evil cackle* I admit the last one was a cliffhanger!  
  


Disclaimer: Shadow does not own pokemon. Okay? *Smiles and nods*

Notes: Okay, I didn't put this in a few chapters. Just to refresh your memory, indicates telepathy, ** indicates thoughts, and _this_ indicates poke speech. Unless of course, the italics are in the middle of a sentence…

Ranma – yes, I know. Giovanni's pretty nice isn't he? Actually, a lot of people are dubbies, so… besides, I hate flames and I hate Nelvana, so why not combine the two? Yes, guess the cloaked male figure! He's not going to be revealed for a while… Hehehe…

Matthais-8888 – Ah, I see. I wouldn't know. The story is choppy? I try to make it flow, but I'm not that good… Thanks for your compliments though!

Pikacar/Marle - *Pets Jewel* Thank you! Hmm, maybe AP Bio won't be so bad after all… or Spanish honors… Save the Vulpix! Yep, Ash has fainted yet again…

Tmp – okay, I'll try to answer all your questions. Pika-chan zaps her wings away in case if people w/magic can see her, then they'll just think she's a normal pikachu. The Vulpix card was scratched and torn because it was damaged (loss of energy), while being separated from the other cards. Pika-chan wasn't surprised because Ash turned into Destiny during the Final Judgment; remember? Yes, Giovanni & Doc Mullins will be quite surprised. Pidgey is a real pokemon, but a magic-type. It evolved back in Episode 17… go back and read it if you're confused.

The Pokemon Reader – thank you! Um, it's usually not good to do characters that seem kind of SI when you begin writing. Other than that, I think your fics are fine.

Eevee99 - *Hands you a pancake* Here you go! Vulpix is fine now, but Ash is not…

Satoshi – that wasn't long enough? *blinks* Usually on Word they're about five pages long… but I'll try…

SnowTiger – heh, so I'm not the only one suffering… of course it won't be good! Poor Ash… of course Giovanni will suspect something. *Evil laughter*

Usagi Serena Yui Cosmos – A/L is good! Which stories? FY or pokemon?

Seeker – so you want Sabrina/Ash… that's going to be hard to write… *Sighs* I'm definitely leaning more towards championshippy right now… but of course, you never know.

Episode 39: Recovery and revelations

Doctor Mullins looked at his watch. It had been twenty minutes. He decided to wait two more minutes, before informing the boy that visiting time was up.

Two minutes passed.

Finally, Doctor Mullins had had enough. He walked in.

And was totally unprepared for the sight that met his eyes. The Vulpix had managed to free itself from all the complicated apparatus, and now looked fine and perfectly healthy, as it was jumping up and down on the bed. However, the boy, Ash? He was lying on the floor of the room, unconscious.

"Oh great. Why did this have to happen on my shift?" Mullins asked himself. "What am I going to tell Giovanni?" He did not relish the thought of what might happen if Giovanni's 'heir' was harmed. On the other hand, there was no good reason why a perfectly healthy boy would just topple over. Unless the air in the room was somehow contaminated with disease-causing pathogens, gas, poison, some deadly inhalant…

Mullins sighed and walked over to check on the kid. There _was_ a pulse, to his surprise. And he _was_ breathing normally. In fact, the only thing wrong with this picture was that the kid was sleeping during the day.

"Wakey, wakey." Mullins said, shaking him.

Ash groaned, as he was jolted into consciousness, thanks to Pika-chan. He looked up into the concerned eyes of the pokemon doctor he had just met.

"Ugh…"

"Are you okay, son? You look unwell." Mullins commented. He discreetly checked that Ash was breathing normally, and wasn't exhibiting any signs of possible assassination.

"I'm just tired." Ash said drowsily. He would have fallen asleep again had not Pika-chan given him another jolt.

"Ow!" Ash said.

Mullins looked at him strangely. Was the kid having hallucinations now? Maybe he should give him a blood test before letting him leave the facility.

"You don't look too good. Stay here, I'll get you some water." Mullins said. He poured Ash a glass of water from the pitcher sitting on the table in the staff's 'dining room', while discreetly adding a few teaspoons of super potion. It wouldn't hurt the kid, anyways, and it might help him.

Pika-chan tsked. "Ash, when are you _ever_ going to learn not to overstress yourself?"

"Um, never?" Ash asked.

Pika-chan sweatdropped. She handed him a Super Potion. After all, Pika-chan had been carrying around potions for a while, as Ash tended to hurt himself a lot. *Sweatdrop*

Ash drank the super potion. When Doctor Mullins came back, Ash drank the water as well, just to make the man happy.

Doctor Mullins sighed in relief. Ash's color had returned and he looked a lot better. Apparently the potion had done its work. He decided that he didn't need to report this to Giovanni.

"Well Ash, I'm glad that your Vulpix seems to be well again." He said.

Ash grinned adorably. "Me too! Maybe Vulpix was so happy to see me that it got well by itself!"

"Did you talk to it? Sometimes hearing voices brings people out of comas." Mullins suggested.

"Yeah, a little bit. And I hugged her. Is that okay?"

Mullins sweatdropped. "Er, yes… it's not exactly standard procedure, but since it seems to have helped your pokémon…"

Ash nodded. "Well, I'm going to go now. I have to get a badge!"

Ash waved goodbye to Mullins and Vulpix, after giving her a hug and a bag of presents – a dark red collar, poke treats, a fluffy cat doll, two bones, and some vitamins and rare candies.

Vulpix waved back. Bye, Master Ash! She said telepathically. Good luck on the rest of your journey! 

Bye! Ash sent back to her.

Mullins sighed. Well, if the boss weren't going to question him about this incident, he wouldn't mention it either. Better off not knowing.

Ash left and took the elevator back to the gym.

"Well, how did it go?" Giovanni asked, looking up from a huge pile of paperwork. 

"Pretty well. Vulpix is all right now, so I think you can take her out of isolation." Ash replied.

Giovanni dropped his pen. "What?! But it was in a coma! How did this happen?"

Ash crossed his fingers behind his back. "Well, I don't know. I talked to her and told her to wake up, and after a few minutes she did."

"That's amazing!" Giovanni said. * He has potential. Perhaps, when he is older… he would be a valuable asset to my organization. He is emphatic, from what his mother told me, and if he has hidden abilities that we could develop… *

"Well, I have to go now. I'm still trying to get a badge." Ash said.

"All right, Ash." Giovanni said. "I was going to let you battle for the Earth badge now if you wanted to, but if you're busy…"

Ash's eyes lit up. "Really?"

"Well, you _are_ here now, aren't you?"

"Yep!" Ash said. "Okay then!" He ran across the gym to the second battle platform. Giovanni stood up and dusted himself up, and told Persian to turn off the electricity. He didn't want to shock his newest recruit.

Persian slunk off to do as it was told. Finding the switches, it flipped them off and sat back to watch the show.

Pika-chan sat on Ash's shoulder. She knew that Giovanni could see her. Hence, the wings were gone as not to attract undue attention.

A Fury Swipes rudely woke the sleeping referee up across the face. Persian hissed at him.

"Wha?" The terrified man asked. Had he done something wrong? Then, he noticed that there was a trainer at the other platform and Giovanni was holding his poke balls. "Oh. A match."

The ref dusted himself out and went over to the score box. "All right, this will be a 3x3 match between the gym leader Giovanni and our challenger, er, what's your name?"

"Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town." Ash said. Was the referee not paying any attention? Or was he just out of it?

"All right! This match will now begin!" The referee said. "Challenger picks first!"

Ash rubbed his chin. * Hmm… I remember that Giovanni has a lot of pokemon. So whatever I pick, he'll have something good against. I'd better use something that actually has a chance… * 

"Pidgey, go!" Ash said. Pidgey flew out of her pokemon ball and looked around, before hovering in the air, waiting for her opponent.

"Kingler, go!" Giovanni said. The giant crab came out and snapped its claws menacingly. Pidgey turned pale.

Calm down, girl. Focus. Ash said to his pokemon soothing as he ran healing chi over her, ignoring the dark look Pika-chan was giving him for using magic right after he had collapsed. "Use Whirlwind!"

Pidgey began beating her wings furiously. The wind picked up and threw Kingler into Giovanni's platform. Giovanni blinked in surprise.

"Well, that was unexpected." He said dryly. "Kingler, use Bubble and knock it out of the air."

"Pidgey, dodge! Then, I want you to follow-up with Desert Storm!" Ash called.

Pidgey almost seemed to grin. It easily got out of the way when the bubbles came its way. Then, it began to glow with gold energy. A mix of ground, electric, and flying-type energy shot at the Kingler.

Kingler really didn't have a chance. Pika-chan looked impressed. Wow, Ash. I didn't know magic-type evolution would do so much. Or did you cheat and meld Pidgey like you did Butterfree? 

Ash looked indignant. No, I didn't cheat! He turned to Pidgey. "Great job, girl!" 

Pidgey looked proud. 

"Kingler, return." Giovanni said. * Well, he _is_ creative… a good quality. Let's see how well he does if I use a direct type advantage this time. *

"Pidgey, return." Ash said. He gave Pidgey a pat on the back before he sent out his next pokemon. "Sunny, I choose you!"

Sunny popped out and yawned. Oh, I see. A battle. She shook herself and prepared to fight.

"Machamp, go!" Giovanni said. Ash gulped when he saw the towering fighting-type. However, Sunny didn't look phased at all.

Sunny, are you sure you can handle this? Ash asked. I don't want you to get hurt. 

I'll be fine, little brother! Sunny said.

Ash sighed. "All right. Sunny, use Thunderbolt!" Sunny nodded, as a bolt of electrons streaked towards the Machamp.

"Karate Chop." Giovanni said. Machamp powered up and charged Sunny, who dodged out of the way easily, since she was much faster.

"Use Quick Attack!" Sunny darted in, nailed Machamp, and darted back out. Machamp roared in frustration and blindly charged.

"Eep! Sunny, use Reflect!" Ash said, starting to panic. Giovanni was shouting at his Machamp, but it was already too far in berserker rage to respond. Unfortunately, Sunny froze when it charged – directly at Ash's platform.

Two hundred and eighty-seven pounds of fighting pokemon crashed into the structure, sending Sunny flying, as well as Ash.

Several things happened at once.

One, the referee took cover under bleachers.

Two, Pika-chan transformed into her 'Eternal Winged Pikachu of Greatness' form and dived down after Ash.

Three, Ash's poke balls popped open. Skymew appeared for a brief second before Sabrina took over and also dived for Ash.

Fourth, Sunny, being a legendary pokemon, revealed her wings and saved herself from flying into a wall.

Fifth, Storm popped out of her Great ball and took care of the Machamp with a well-aimed hyper beam.

Sixth, Giovanni's Persian darted onto the field to try and stop the commotion.

When the chaos was finally sorted out a few minutes later, Giovanni was in shock, to say the least. And that was a rare thing.

Ash finally found his voice. "Um, I can explain this…"

"I hope so!" Giovanni said.

Ash sighed. "It's a long story…" He would have said more, but than Pika-chan whispered something in his ear. 

"You can't erase his memory. It's one of those inevitable things. Plus, Serebii chooses these things. This is a turning point. And she said no."

Ash's eyes widened. Then, he bowed his head in defeat. "All right…"

End Episode 39!

Leave a review! Plotbunnies are withering faster than the central vacuole of an Elodea plant placed in a bowl of salt water! Ugh, too much AP Biology isn't too good for you…

Flames will be used to forge Wood – so she can grow over the Nelvana Headquarters and prevent anything from coming out! Hehehehehe!

POLL: If Shadow wrote a lemon and posted it somewhere, who would read it?


	40. The deepest cuts are often the simplest

Episode 40! Yay! An even number! 

Disclaimer: Shadow does not own pokemon. Desert Storm is my attack, however, so if you steal it, you will be flamed. Sorry, kind of personal, oh yeah, this version of Destiny is mine too.

Notes: Yes, Giovanni has magic. I already mentioned that. That's why he can see Pika-chan and the others.

Note: ** Indicates thoughts, indicates telepathy, and _italics_ indicates *long drum roll* translated poke speech!

Tmp – no, Ash does _not_ get to erase Giovanni's memories, however Giovanni will be able to deal with it and Ash could always use Hypnosis on him. The next story will be called 'Card Captor Ashura – Dark Apprentice'

Ranma – you'll see! *Grins* Thanx for your compliments

Mathias – 8888 – I know! Stupid Internet broke while I was uploading so I had to re-upload the chapter. Sorry about it!  
Eevee99 – "Card Captor Ashura – Dark Apprentice"

John Eon – Thank you! *blushes*

SnowTiger – Yep, Giovanni's going to think of Ash differently now! Thank you for your honest comments.

Satoshi – Ash actually can't do much… don't worry, I'm mental too! *Smirks* It takes one to know one!

Sapphire – Yep, Serebii picks! The next arc will be titled 'CCA – Dark Apprentice'

J- man – Really? Okay, um… e-mail me for the address…

Pikacar/Marle – THANK YOU! *Smiles and glomps 3 pokemon, they try to flame her* Hey!

Mistress of Richard Cox – Hmm… okay, I will think about it and try to write a lemon! *Smirks as she thinks about how she can use the legendary cursed springs*

Episode 40: The deepest cuts are often the simplest.

            "Ash… what _are_ these?"

            "Well, that's Pika-chan, you already saw her. The girl with wings is Sabrina." Ash said. Since he had to go through this, he might as well come clean.

            "I see…" Giovanni said. "Is there anything else you wish to tell me? They're your pokémon, maybe?"

            "Well, Sabrina and Pika-chan are my guardians." Ash said. "They're supposed to protect me from danger."

            "Wait." Giovanni said. He popped two aspirin in his mouth. "I know, why don't you start from the beginning…"

            "Okay…" Ash began his tale.

Two hours later… (Listen, go re-read the whole fic if you don't know what is going on)

            "That's amazing! Stuff out of the legends!" Giovanni said. "Does that mean you're a pokemon too?"

            "Yeah, but not really a strong one." Ash said. "I can't really attack or anything."

            "Oh." Giovanni thought hard, and finally made a decision. He knew he might regret it, but since Ash was being honest with him, he should at least not lie and deceive the kid.

            "Ash, since you've been honest with me, I at least owe you the same. This may come as a shock, but I run Team Rocket as well as the Viridian City gym."

            Ash didn't look surprised. "I knew there was a reason you gave me that cell phone. But I was only 'attacked' me a couple of times."

            "Well, I know. There's a reason for that. But listen. Ash, I love your mother. I really do, with all of my heart. She already knows about Team Rocket, but she still loves me. We want to get married as soon as possible. We were going to wait until you were finished with your journey, but…"

            "Now that I'm here, you want to get married."

            "Ash, I would love to be your father." Giovanni said sincerely. "I know we don't really know each other that well, and we seem like completely different people with nothing in common, but why don't we give it a try?"

            "Sounds good to me. When's the wedding?" Ash asked.

            "Soon. Very soon." Giovanni said in reply. He still looked kind of dazed. Thankfully, the referee hadn't heard any of this conversation since he had fainted out of fear earlier.

            "Well, I have to go heal my pokémon now." Ash said, breaking the awkward silence. Sabrina and Pika-chan went into their false forms, Sabrina to Skymew and Pika-chan back into her small form, wings and all.

            Giovanni escorted him out, still rather dizzy. As Ash left, Giovanni pinned the Earth badge to the back of his shirt. He wondered how long it would take before Ash noticed. Then, he headed back to brew himself a nice pot of freshly ground Columbian coffee to settle his nerves.

            At the Viridian pokemon center…

            "Was it right of me to tell him?" Ash asked Pika-chan as he handed Nurse Joy his two poke balls.

            "For the millionth time, yes!" Pika-chan said. "If you hadn't told him…"

            A time portal suddenly opened and a mallet slammed into Pika-chan's head. Pika-chan fell over, with birds flying over her head.

            "No foretelling!" Serebii said sternly, before the portal closed.

            Ash blinked.

            "Owowowowo!" Pika-chan said. She rubbed her sore head angrily. "Darn! Oh well…"

Ash shook his head. * What in the world was that? * He thought, a bit bemused. * If Pika-chan was scared, it must be powerful, but it's so cute! *

Another little voice whispered in his head, * Skymew is cute too, but Sabrina is deadly. *

"That's different!" Ash snapped out loud.

Pika-chan looked at her new Master curiously. "Are you all right?"

"Yeah…" Ash said sheepishly. * Maybe I'm just freaked out. I know! I need more sleep. That's it! Sleep deprivation is the reason why I'm acting so weird. Good, I just need to get enough sleep tonight… *

Nurse Joy came back with his poke balls. "Here you go." She said, in her standard placid tone of voice. "Have a nice day!"

"Thanks, Nurse Joy." Ash said. He wondered how she could miss Pika-chan's talking and Serebii flying around, but that probably meant she didn't have magic… only magic people could see Pika-chan usually, but if she wished, she could manifest herself as a normal pikachu so others could see her. It was very handy when Ash wanted to use her in pokemon battles.

"Oh, and by the way." Nurse Joy said as Ash turned to leave, "I don't think its wise to pin your badge on the back of your shirt. Somebody might try to steal it." Ash slowly turned around and gasped when he saw the Earth Badge.

"Wow! I can't believe it!" Ash said. He pulled it off. When he saw what else was attached to it, he nearly fainted. It was a check for sixty thousand dollars.

"Wow…" Ash said. * Let's see, you can't buy that much pokemon gear with this money, but maybe if I use it on other stuff. Pokemon equipment is expensive, so I'm usually better off trying to create it using magic. I know! I'll go and get a wedding present for Mom and Giovanni! *

"But first," Ash said out loud. "Let's hit the Sandshrew Café!"

"Yeah!" Pika-chan cheered. Ash released all of his pokemon, even Skymew, who transformed into a Meowth again, and they left the pokemon center, quite ready and willing to devour their upcoming meal.

When they got there, Ash ordered a hearty meal for all of them. Pika-chan got the Potato Platter – potato pancakes with syrup, butter, and jam, mashed potatoes and gravy, French fries with ketchup and sweet sauce for dipping, fresh potato salad, a baked potato, Irish nachos, and sweet potato casserole with marshmallows. Dessert was sweet potato pudding and/or potato based ice cream, while the whole thing came with a delicious Yam shake.

Ash sweatdropped. "Well, what does everyone else want?" He asked, hoping that this wouldn't drain his funds. But considering the money he had gotten from Giovanni… it didn't seem likely yet.

_I'll take the Salad bar!_ Oddish said. 

_Me too!_ Butterfree said. _They have eleven types of salad here! And I want to try all of them!_

Sunny shrugged. _I can't decide, so I'll just go check out the buffet. It saves money too!_ _Plus, I can get anything I want!_ She said optimistically.

Storm thought hard. _Um, I'll take the broiled salmon, the seafood platter (fried calamari, steamed crab, lobster with mushrooms, various sashimi, and a salmon filet), and an order of Blueberries and Cream ice cream._

Skymew shrugged. _Same thing as Storm, but switch the broiled salmon for a tuna salad sandwich, and I want bubble gum ice cream too!_

Pidgey also wanted the buffet. They _did_ serve various bugs there, for those who enjoyed them. Plus, there was a section dedicated entirely to fruit!

Ponyta couldn't decide. Finally, she made her choice_. I'll take the salad bar, plus an order of super-spicy stuffed jalapeno peppers, and some red-hot magma chili!_

"Cool!" Ash said. He gave the impatient waitress all his orders (It took a while), before settling down to wait for the appetizers.

By the time the meal ended, a group of very happy, stuffed pokemon made their way back to the pokemon center, where they would spend the night.

Ash yawned. "I guess we'll be flying to Saffron tomorrow."

"Well, why not?" Pika-chan asked. "You have a pretty good team. I'm sure you can beat the gym leader!"

Ash hugged the little guardian to his chest. "Thanks for your support, Pika-chan." He whispered.

Pika-chan patted him on the head. "Now, now. Don't get all worked up. Let's go to sleep."

Ash nodded and went inside.

Sometime in the middle of the night…

A thin shape blurred into reality and smiled.

From its hands, dangled a marionette on strings. 

"Wake up…"

Ash groaned as he was awakened. "What is it?" He asked. Looking around, he saw Pika-chan make shushing motions.

"Never mind." Ash groaned as he pulled out his key. "Couldn't they attack some other time?"

" I guess not." Pika-chan said.

"Key that hides the power of the stars, reveal your true form before me! Your master under the seal of contract Ashura commands you, Release!" The gold magic circle formed and his staff appeared.

"Magic to cards, cards to key!" Ash said. The star in the middle of the staff glowed for a minute, before a solid white beam formed and shot off out the window. Ash was too sleepy to notice what color the beam was.

"Let's go." He said, transforming and jumping out the window. Pika-chan followed.

Soon, they noticed a shadowy figure jumping from building to building.

"Must be it." Ash said. "Well, what is it, and how can I defeat whatever it is? I can't even catch it…"

"A being of shadows… shadows are indistinct, but there are ways to pin them down and capture them…"

"Thanks, Pika-chan." Ash said dryly. "Wait! I've got an idea! Card created by Clow, please accept this new star power and take your new form! Your new master Ashura commands you, Release!" The wings on Ash's staff grow bigger and touched the card, which changed to white.

"Scyther!" The praying mantis pokemon flew out, charging the figure. It eeped and tried to run, but one of Scyther's blades pinned it to the ground, so it couldn't move.

"Great! Now that it's trapped, you just need to figure out how to make it disappear!" Pika-chan said. * Wow, Ash is getting better. *

"Shadows are afraid of light, right?" Ash asked. "Hmm… I don't think there are light-type pokemon, but this will do as well. Jolteon!"

Jolteon also changed and turned to the figure, roaring out a battle cry before releasing ten thousand volts of thunder. Whatever it was shrieked and vanished.

"Great job!" Pika-chan said, clapping her paws.

"Thanks…" Ash said, before he keeled over.

Massive sweatdropping ensued.

Pika-chan got a little light bulb over her head. "Wait! I can teleport him back!" She smirked and they vanished in a flash of light.

End Episode 40! Woohoo! I've hit another multiple of ten!

Remember, shadowphantomness loves to eat reviews! Nice ones are great, flames will be used to create Dark, and she will shut up all of Nelvana's employees so they can't dub anymore! Mwahahaha!

THE NEXT ARC WILL BE 'CARD CAPTOR ASHURA – DARK APPRENTICE'


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